


Jagged Teeth and Straight Tonic

by Chloe Casey (ChloeCasey)



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Demon Deals, Demon!Flug, Demons, Demons be demons, Eldritch, Flug has a past he really doesn't want to share, I should probably also mention blood, M/M, Masochism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paper Hat - Freeform, Smut, fluff later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2018-11-19 18:38:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11319285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeCasey/pseuds/Chloe%20Casey
Summary: Black Hat and Dr. Flug's relationship goes back further than most would expect. But there are some things that the doctor has managed to keep hidden. Things that even an Eldritch might find surprising.





	1. Talons and Love Bites

The mansion was quieter than usual: Dementia lazied around the living room, 5.0.5. cleaned the house, Dr. Flug was hiding from everyone and generally being unsocial. No one was screaming in fear or running close to deadlines.

Unacceptable.

If there was one thing Black Hat knew, it was that his organization members would not have the luxury of complete relaxation.

5.0.5. was simple: feather dusters typically did not transform into flying beasts that spit acid. Dementia was only a little more complicated; most of his tricks only worked once or twice on her before she just started gawking at him and his antics. But a little bit of thaumaturgy, blood, and faked desecration still sent her running for the hills.

Flug was another problem. No matter what Black Hat did, the man would scream and plead and generally do a phenomenal job stroking his employer's ego. The only issue was getting variety. (And not inadvertantly destroying some precious project of Flug's that might actually be worthwhile or dangerous. He did not want to quarantine the entire facility again.) Since Flug was such an easy target, he provided Black Hat with a template for trying new things. He had often spent more than an hour torturing the man before finally deciding his final mode of terror. In a way - not that he would ever admit this - Black Hat was surprised (and maybe vaguely proud) that the scientist had yet to entirely crack under his jarring influences.

The main door to the lab was locked. Interesting. Dr. Flug only did such a thing when he was worried about Dementia sabotaging one of his devices, or one of his devices wandering off or attacking others. It wasn't much of a hindrance to Black Hat - he could probably rip the door off its hinges without batting an eye - but he did prefer to be civil with his scientist. Most of the time.

He allowed himself to deliberate on the topic. On one hand, he hadn't actually seen Dr. Flug for the last few days. No new inventions, no research needed, no reports to hand in. He definitely deserved some kind of punishment for slacking off. Unless something was wrong, but that couldn't be. He would have noticed.

Ah! The door must be for Black Hat, as a last ditch effort to keep from being punished. A futile move on the doctor's part, but at least he could recognize when he was in danger. The was also a possibility, one which he discarded as soon as he realized the room was dead and silent, was that Dr. Flug had been pulling a succession of all-nighters on a project that would, hopefully, bring him into his employer's good graces.

Either way, he was going to scare the man shitless. And he was going to take his time doing so.

Black Hat collapsed himself into nothing more than a black wisp of air and slid past the door into the lab. He had expected all the lights to be on. He had also expected the scientist to be toiling away at one of the many desks in the room. But as it was, only the dimmest lights were on and Dr. Flug was nowhere to be seen. Creeping along the shadows, he searched for his scientist. He came across several fallen racks and an overturned chair. Something was not entirely right here. He raised himself from the floor-

A weight suddenly slammed into his back. His chin hit the ground, startling a growl from his chest. Teeth snapped around his neck, a certain sting traveling to the core of his being. He hissed, eyes flaring red as he shot up to his feet, a clawed hand reaching back to grip whatever it was by its neck. Nails dug into his shoulder, jaws clamping harder, but as soon as his own claws found purchase, sinking into skin, the creature let go with a breathy growl, almost a whine. The next moment, it was flying through the air and slamming into a wall.

Black Hat huffed, feeling his body growing in height. Any light that remained in the room was dulled by a sudden mist. He stalked toward the creature, which twitched feebly against the wall. A white coat, closely fitting around its waist and trailing down to its knees, bunched and wrinkled as it fell sideways to the ground. Teal blood streaked across its lips and chin. It's limbs shook, as if conflicted on which direction to move.

"Ggh... need... S-sir, please.." A cough racked the creature's frame, followed by a bout of thin wheezes.

This was...? Black Hat took a deep breath, striding toward the squirming heap on the ground. He forced his body to revert to a more presentable appearance, ignoring the sudden scramble of movement from the doctor. He gripped the man's lab coat, hauling him to his feet. Weak nails clawed into his wrist, barely able to create more than thin rivulets of ruddy teal. His paper bag was miraculously still on his head (though tilted enough to show his mouth), but his eyes glowed a dull red behind his goggles. The scientist let out a whimper, hands slowly falling back to his side. Flug's tongue darted out, swiping away some of the blood on his face, and his eyes narrowed and widened at the sight of Black Hat's still-bleeding wound.

"What part of 'business partners' did you not understand?" Black Hat hissed, jolting him forward and striding quickly toward a certain corner of the room. The man stumbled and fell, whining as he was dragged over the linoleum. He pawed at Black Hat's pant leg, though the eldritch couldn't tell if the motion was an attempt to trip him or merely make him stop walking.

"L-leave," Flug stammered, breathing speeding up. He didn't want this. He couldn't continue like this with anyone near him. It was too dangerous.

His stomach clenched reproachfully, jagged pain fogging his mind. He barely knew what was happening before he felt something heavy coil around his wrists and some kind of gag slot between his teeth. Screeching filled his ears, eyes suddenly seeing nothing but a disgusting lime green, lungs ceasing to work.

So this was how he died. Suffocating in some alternate dimension listening to the souls of the damned while his own body sabotaged with him.

His lungs suddenly inflated, almost to the point where he was afraid his ribs would pop. Then he started coughing, infantile claws flexing inches above the carpeted floor now beneath his face. He curled on his side as his stomach groaned, that disastrous haze clouding his vision again. He let out a whine, if only because he couldn't speak and his legs felt full of lead.

Black Hat sighed, swiftly removing his cloak and rolling up his sleeves. He had been expecting this, in a way, since the doctor first arrived at the establishment however many years ago. He knew Flug relished in the death of his "fellow" humans, basked in it even, but did not even think that he was actually dining on souls. The man rarely ever ate in front of the others, using either his self-conciousness or inventions as an excuse.

It was an obvious sign of demonic influence that he, as an Eldritch, should have seem coming.

It was also something Flug should have mentioned before now. They had a bloody contract, goddammit!

"You've practically been wasting yourself away." The statement wasn't as sharp as he intended, but the meaning came across entirely fine. Flug twitched and let out a muffled, "Apologies," before curling in on himself.

"You chose a brilliant time to succumb, too. No test subjects. Living, anyway." He stepped toward him again, dragging the man toward his bed and dropping him uncerimoniously on one side of it. Elegantly sitting next to him, Black Hat flicked open the top two buttons of his dress shirt. "I'm willing - just this once - to allow you to have my own physical ichor in place of a soul for the time being. Obviously not an entirely even hand off, but-"

In a swirl of blue and white, Flug was straddling Black Hat's waist, his teeth piercing into the crook of his neck. He grunted, surprised by the suddenness of the action. Obviously the urge to feed was overcoming the doctor's mental capacity to thoroughly understand his situation. He chose to ignore it. This time.

The demon sighed as Flug became more and more pliable against him, tongue flickering against his skin in search of more blood, and the hand that had pushed his head aside slid down to his collarbone. His hands clenched and unclenched over his dress shirt, as if some sense of uncertainty still clung to him. Rolling his eyes, Black Hat brought a hand to Flug's head and pushed him down onto his shoulder.

"Mm!" Teal blood welled into his mouth, almost fast enough to choke him. The flavour, though. Oh, if he died after this, he'd be a happy man. It was sweet, almost succulent. Nothing like the tangy flavor of human blood. He let out a small whine, clamping his jaw tighter and unconsciously pressing his body closer to his boss'. He only stopped his movements when he felt something ripple between his legs.

"Pay no attention," Black Hat barked, voice slightly breathy. "It's of no importance to you."

He wasn't sure what it was that made him perform his next action. He pulled back from Black Hat's neck, cupped the eldritch's chin and leaned forward, feeling his eyes spark a deeper crimson. Their lips were nearly touching. Both of them seemed vaguely out of breath.

"I think it is."

Flug didn't allow the other time to respond, instead opting to roll his hips and press their lips together. Claws dug into his waist, but he growled and ground himself down harder against the other. His stomach whined.

(Had he a better presence of mind, he would have been screaming at himself for his foolishness.)

In the next moment, he found himself pinned to the bed, Black Hat's tongue piercing into his mouth. He whimpered, struggling for only a moment before going lax, legs twitching and clenching against the other's sides. He could vaguely feel seeking appendages forcefully straining against Black Hat's slacks to tease at his crotch, but was more worried about the muscle currently making its way down his throat. His back arched, pinned hands flexing and toes curling as his airway was blocked off. A rumble was released from his boss' chest, not unlike a territorial purr from some ancient predator. Flug felt his entire body grow pliable under that sound, willfully submissive to Black Hat's whims.

Another unidentifiable noise came from the Eldritch, and he removed his tongue, only to lick and nip over Flug's chin and throat. The prestine flats of infinitely sharp teeth pressed into his skin and he found himself whining, waiting for the sharp sting to hit him, but receiving nothing. He tried to signal his desire with his body, rutting up and arching against him, even displaying his throat to him, but merely received a patient, winning smirk. He whined as hands skittered over his sides.

"What?" Black Hat's grin was sinister, dangerous. "Are you a succubus too?"

Flug took several breaths, thankful for his bag, no matter how crooked it may be. "I - I hones-nestly don't-" He gasped, body arching as the eldritch dug his talons into his side. Something told him this was more out of some kind of experimentation than anything else. He approved. Vocally.

"What was that?" His voice was velvet, softened and warbled by some carnal purring.

"Ah-nn..." He bit his lip, trying to think past the lust and adrenaline encouraging his hips to roll against his boss. "N-not sure, s-sir." Another shudder passed through him as his wrists were released, that same hand tracing his collar bone. "I-I know I need souls."

Black Hat hummed and leaned down closer to him, tongue flickering over his neck and shoulder, and claws digging into his side. "Do you need this?"

Flug groaned at the pain, eyes fluttering. "I want it. I want you."

His body skidded forward on the bed. Those talons pried at his clothes, shucking his jeans and boxers away. A clawed hand hovered over his slit, its owner's eyes observing the deep reddish-grey liquid steadily leaking down ebony and ivory skin. His hips bucked on their own as a slender finger found its way into his slit, the other hand moving to hold a knee down. A groan bubbled from his lips as the finger found the tapered tip of a sleeping member. He twitched, breath catching as Black Hat circled the tendril, urging it into motion. His hands clutched the sheets beneath him, the tendril tentatively following his finger.

It felt like ages before his tendril curled in the coolness of the room, eagerly seeking the retreating hand for more of that delicious friction. His knees quivered in the air as he fought to keep the last strands of his composure.

"Je-Jefecito..." he murmured, licking his lips. Drops of warm liquid flicked onto his stomach as his length twitched, curling around itself in a flagrant show of hedonism. Flug almost flinched at the feeling of something thicker wrapping around his base. He could have sworn Black Hat's breath got shakier when his tendril writhed and tangled itself with the teal mass. More drops hit his skin, but these felt cooler, and when he peeked down between them, he was met with at least five tendrils of varying shapes and sizes all fighting over his length.

"They seem to like you." Black Hat licked his lips salatiously then tensed all of his tentacles around the doctor's length.

"Ahh!" He nearly propelled himself forward, hips shaking and body curling inward against Black Hat's chest. His hands found purchase on his shoulders, nails biting into thicker skin even as the larger body shook. "Hhnn..."

A slender tendril prodded at his slit, below where his own member protruded. A moment later, it slammed inside him, only dulled by his back suddenly hitting the bed and teeth burying themselves in his neck. He tossed his head back with a silent scream, legs locking behind Black Hat's back and unwittingly impaling himself further on the suddenly rigid length. Two thicker tendrils prodded along side the length, easing in slowly while another coiled around his twitching member. "Ohh... Oh, fuck..."

Black Hat's hips suddenly snapped up against him, the tendrils burying themselves deep within him. His body quivered, jerking and shivering as he felt heavy breathing gust over the wound in his shoulder. The tendrils inside him slowly relaxed, undulating inside and probing for sensitive spots. The eldritch had barely begun moving before the scientist was begging and writhing beneath him. There was barely a wait before the room filled with moans and shouts and slams from the bed frame rocking against the wall. Their lips occasionally met in blood filled kisses, but it seemed that Black Hat was intent on listening to all the noises Flug made.

The doctor arched and bucked against Black Hat, dribbles of drool running down his cheek. With this kind of stimulation, he wasn't going to last long. He wanted this to last forever, and he didn't want Black Hat to stop for any reason whatsoever. The tendrils in him quivered, curling in on each other and rippling in delicious tandem. Flug's body arched and ground against him, pain again flaring over his shoulder, then his neck, his chest, his arm. An embarrassingly loud moan slid from his lips, his own hips stuttering as Black Hat's thrusts picked up. The Eldritch bent closer to him, hot breath ghosting across his chin and neck.

"Ah - a-aahh! Je-Jefe - I - nnmm - com-" His body jerked uncontrollably, arching into a still-clothed chest, legs tightening around Black Hat's waist. The thin, wildly writhing tendril wedged between them spasmed, suddenly hardening and spewing a pinkish-red fluid across their stomachs. The other groaned into his skin, hips slamming only a few more times before spending inside the doctor. A much thicker, teal liquid pumped into him, inciting a thin wail from the smaller man.

The two panted against one another, slowly coming down from the high. Black Hat used the moment to gently trace over the marbled tones of the lesser demon's skin. Flug lightly tilted his head back as the claws ghosted over his throat and chin. He shifted his hips, and whined when Black Hat held him still.

"Just a moment longer."

Flug relaxed against the bed, closing his eyes for a few moments. Some innate part of him saw this as normal, some kind of ritual the other thought necessary. It gave him some extra time to digest what had just happened. Literally and figuratively. He could feel the liquid inside him steadily dissipating, as if his body were absorbing it. He should probably ask Black Hat about that.

The burning hunger he had felt earlier was almost entirely sated. A sort of physical hunger he hadn't noticed before had been taken care of, allowing his body to relax in a way it hadn't for quite some time. If Black Hat noticed, he didn't say anything or didn't care. Maybe he was fine with him being relaxed for the time being?

Flug hesitantly opened his eyes to check Black Hat's expression. The eldritch was still perched over his body, arms planted next to his head. He was staring into Flug's eyes with an intensity devoid of his normal irritation and venom, but something... seemed off. The man shifted slightly, vaguely recognizing the expression, before shuddering as the tendrils inside him quivered.

He took a deep breath, biting his lip beneath his bag. "S-Sir?"

"Yes?" Black Hat's voice was even, as if they were discussing business.

For a moment, he was silent, unsure whether or not he should voice his worries or ask any questions or explain anything or talk at all. He... truthfully had never quite done this. In any sense of whatever this could be called. He had very little experience with demons in general, and even less with eldritches, despite what his lineage and occupation would imply.

He slowly reached up and rubbed a dribble of blood from Black Hat's chin. The other followed his hand with his eyes, brows raising at the sentiment before a sigh escaped him. He gently nuzzled into the scientist's palm, decidedly looking away from him. A moment passed and he slid out of the other, cleaning the both of them with the wave of a hand.

"This changes nothing."

"Of course, boss." Flug smiled and yawned, feeling mostly satisfied. Some rebellious part of him was almost amused by Black Hat's statement. The Eldritch sighed and laid next to him, seemingly not wanting to leave the scientist's side. This must be another eldritchian custom. A protective urge after mating. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel something similar.

After a moment of hesitation, he slipped his paper bag and goggles from his head and shifted closer to Black Hat, curling into a ball against his chest. A sort of rumble echoed from the other's chest, soothing any tension Flug might have been hiding. The scientist felt arms wrap over his back and gratefully nuzzled closer into Black Hat's chest.


	2. Assessment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Flug wakes up and tries to assess what the hell happened last night.
> 
> Black Hat is a demon geek and can't keep his hands to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos everyone! I expected to get this chapter up here earlier, but I ended up going on a vacation for a week and.... Yeah. I decided to forego some of my editing in favor of getting this up for you guys.
> 
> This is a bit more fluffy, but still has some smut toward the end. 
> 
> Thanks a ton!

Something was off.

Flug gently curled in on himself, his senses pleasantly softened by a kind of warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. He decided he didn't want to give it up, that delectable feeling of safety and comfort. He buried his face in the plush comforter surrounding him, hiding from the few stray beams of light landing across his still closed eyes.

...Something was off.

A frown touched upon his brows, and his fingers sunk deeper into the blanket. He couldn't quite remember having such a comfortable bed. For that matter, he couldn't remember having a window that faced the sun at any time of the day. More concerning, perhaps, was the fact that he could feel the sun on his skin at all.

His eyes snapped open, entire body jerking upward and heart hammering as he remembered the previous night.

He and Black Hat had... copulated. His boss had found him out - finally - in perhaps the worst, lewdest way he could have possibly imagined. That wasn't to say he didn't like it. The entire experience had been wonderfully pleasurable, but.... Did it mean anything? Black Hat did take a few moments to assure their time was consensual. Well, he didn't necessarily ask at point blank, but the eldritch always was one for nuance. And making it so blunt probably would have just made them both more awkward.

He almost blushed as he recalled his response to "needing sex." A sudden urge to curl back up under the covers hit him. He didn't want to ask Black Hat about any of this. He didn't want to see Black Hat's reaction to their coupling. He didn't want to know how much it meant to him. Or how little.

In all honesty, it probably meant nothing to him.

He dragged a hand over his face, taking in a measured breath. It was late in the morning; he should be heading to the lab by now. His musings meant nothing if Black Hat tore him to pieces for not working.

His feet had barely touched the carpeted flooring before the door off to his right swung open. Flug instinctively flinched, grabbing the comforter and pulling it over himself in an effort to hide any exposed skin. He peeked over sleek ebony to see none other than Black Hat himself.

The eldritch rolled his eyes and crossed his arms at the display. "Honestly, Doctor. Hiding yourself after all our time together? Pitiful."

The tone bordered on ridicule and something Flug dared to consider playful. He didn't miss the double meaning either. "Ah, s-sorry, Sir." He hesitantly lowered the blanket, unable to meet his gaze without his goggles and paper bag. He wasn't quite uncomfortable without them, but there was definitely a sense of security he was lacking. "I, er, I - I should have told you sooner."

A hiss of breath escaped Black Hat before he strode toward the man - _demon_ , he corrected. "All these decades, and you've managed to hide yourself from an _eldritch_. Most would say it's downright impossible." He stopped just a foot away from where the doctor huddled under his blanket. The look of anxiety would normally excite him, but at the given moment, well, he had more important work to be done. Another sigh left his lips as he delicately sat down on the edge of his bed. "How exactly have you hidden yourself? Even now, I can't quite..." He frowned. No, that wasn't quite true. "I _know_ you're a demon. Your presence simply doesn't feel like one."

"Erm." He shifted, head still lowered, and nervously rubbed his arm. "I believe I'm... tainted, sir. I was made by a union, not changed in Hell."

"A cambion?" Black Hat leaned closer, eye narrowing sharply as Flug leaned back. "Hmph. Doesn't quite explain everything."

"I never knew them," he added quickly. "I was only in Hell for a short time as well, before, um...."

Black Hat hummed. He knew what happened to the unwanted half-breeds of demons, the rejects and malformed. Obviously they didn't know what they had lost. "I suppose it could make sense if one half was an incubus or succubus and the other a soul eater. Could explain your skin discoloration, too."

"S-Sir." Without thought, his knees lifted to hide his face. A moment passed before a gloved hand carded through his hair.

"Is that why you hide your face?" The very idea made him want to shred every bag in the doctor's possession, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. Cambions were rare things, and more often than not held surprising abilities as a result of their mixed genes, but they could also be ridiculously stubborn and fragile. Flug wasn't entirely lacking in cosmetics either, so he couldn't quite understand his desire to hide his face. The only noticeable flaw would be the patches of differently colored skin scattered across his body, but somehow even those made him seem softer. Maybe it was just Black Hat being an Eldritch. He wasn't sure.

He narrowed his eyes as Flug remained silent. "Is there something else?"

He bit his lip, continuing to hesitate for a few moments. "My... gaze tends to incapacitated others, seemingly at random."

"I was wondering what that was." Black Hat tightened his talons in the doctor's hair, listening idly to the small whimper it provoked. "You definitely tried to do something to me right before we... you know." He released his hair, gently combing it back into place. "I can tell you it had to do with souls. It felt similar to when you took my blood, only without the teeth in my neck. And it... tried to make me complacent. Probably just a predatory reflex from your sexual half."

"I-I'm sorry." The doctor tensed under his hand. "I - I didn't mean to, I couldn't - I wasn't-"

Black Hat closed his eyes as the fearful ramble began to quicken in tempo. He should be leaving the room by now, disgusted by the display, but... something told him not to. There was something about this individual that was so backwards, it drew him in like a moth. He didn't like the feeling. He didn't hate it either.

"Quiet," he hissed. The cambion obediently shut his mouth, still holding his legs. "I honestly could care less about you trying to seduce me, conscious or otherwise. Demons can barely put a claw to me; cambions even less so. I'm more-" He stopped himself, nose wrinkling momentarily. "- _worried_  about you. Demons don't simply feed once when they come out from a hunger, and cambions are even more finicky. You'll be staying here until I deem you fit to leave."

Flug raised his head slightly, frowning. "Here? But this is-"

"My private quarters, yes. Which will keep the others away from you, and it will be convenient if you find yourself... in need of me." Black Hat very surreptitiously looked him over before returning his eyes to the doctor's.

"I-I..." Flug selfconsciously held the comforter around him. "You're... alright with that?"

The eldritch raised a brow, tilting his head somewhat. His voice sounded amused, but his face was definitely serious. "Do you enjoy the concept of multiple partners, doctor?"

"Er, n-no, sir." He frowned, unsure of the meaning behind the question. "Why would I be?"

" _You_ wouldn't be. You're a cambion, demonspawn." Black Hat rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Demons tend to mate for life. They rarely have multiple partners. And yesterday, you said you wanted me, so I would assume...."

Flug blushed, looking aside and absently combing his hand through his hair. "I... I suppose so? I mean... I've lived most of my life around humans. So my culture is different, but.... I do feel a kind of... urge? Yeah. It's... strange. But...."

"But?"

The cambion shifted, resting his knees on the bed with a sigh. "Do you feel the same? Do you actually...?" He vaguely gestured to himself, unable to meet Black Hat's gaze. The ensuing silence suspended between them was painfully tangible.

The Eldritch made some sort of sighing, crackly noise in his throat. "Yes. I do."

"Y-you-" Flug's eyes snapped up to Black Hat's. "You want _me?"_

"Yes, I want you. Keep up." He leaned forward to nuzzle his forehead, pinprick claws digging into his chin. His lips hovered dangerously between the scientist's ear and lips. "In fact, one could say I already _own_ you."

Warmth spread through his stomach, his pupils contracting as he looked Black Hat dead in the eyes. There was something consuming in the way the eldritch watched him, something that made it clear he couldn't quite argue the point. His mind flashed back to the deal he had made with him. At the time, he had assumed that, since he lacked a soul, there wouldn't be any repercussions for breaking their contract.

(He never tried to, of course, but his mind _had_ wandered over the last few decades.)

Black Hat's statement, however, made it clear he had been very, very wrong.

"Ah-hhn... S-Sir..." He couldn't hide the shudders that passed through his frame. Ebony claws dug further into his jaw, prompting him to open his mouth with a small whine. The other hand's fingers glossed over his gums.

"Retractable fangs," Black Hat mused. "Fairly uncommon."

His thumb pressed down, forcing several greyish fangs into the open. Flug twisted his head, the feeling incredibly foreign and somewhat startling. On the occasions that he allowed himself snacks between meals, he more fully felt the sensations of his second set of teeth unsheathing, but having only three or four teeth out at a time provided him with an unsettling amount of mixed signals. Black Hat smirked and stroked over the fangs, seemingly pleased by the visceral response.

"Go on."

For a moment, he was confused. Then the eldritch pressed down on his gums again and he coughed, one hand moving up to grip his wrist as his full set of teeth came out. He tightened his grip on Black Hat's wrist as he felt the shift in his eyes, his jaws widening further with fleshy noises. A manic gleam filled the other's eyes, talons moving to cup the doctor's chin even as thin rivulets of blood dripped onto his gloves.

"Beautiful."

Flug stilled at the word, staring wide eyed at Black Hat as he hovered inches away from his face. Beautiful? He... knew he wasn't. He could definitely stand to eat a bit more, his hair wasn't anywhere close to neat, and his skin just made for awkward conversation. That wasn't even getting into how his skin literally _ripped_ whenever his teeth were unsheathed. Well. Now that he thought about it... He actually wouldn't be surprised if Black Hat found that attractive.

Black Hat smirked, his tongue flickering out for just a moment. The doctor followed the movement with his eyes, and then let out a weak moan before burying his face into ebony claws. The eldritch wasn't lying, or playing with him for any discernable reason. It simply wasn't necessary for him to do so, and he never used flattery to trick coworkers. If he wanted to lie, then he wouldn't lie about what he thought of Flug; if he wanted to toy with him, then he would do it physically and not emotionally. Honestly, the eldritch had standards even Flug could admire; he wasn't going to stoop so low as to cripple an already unsteady self-image.

(Unless it was a hero. Of course.)

Black Hat purred, leaning forward to nuzzle his scientist's hair. He had embarrassed the man plenty of times before, but found this time to be different. It was something more private, something only they would know about. Perhaps it was his age speaking, or the ridiculous amount of time he had spent in this plane, but being able to share something a little less sinister than normal made him relax. He'd never say it out loud, but he had long since coveted this scientist as his own property, his own treasure. Well, knowing Flug's uncanny ability to make little things into big issues, he might actually have to explain all of that. He'd have to plan that carefully.

He audibly huffed.

"Sir?"

"You heal too fast," he snipped, instantly snapping forward and clamping his jaws around the scientist's shoulder. He felt more than heard the gasp and moan it drew from Flug. The gentle brush of fangs against his own clothed shoulder brought a pleased tremble down his spine. A shaking hand gripped his lapels before his shoulder lifted to press into Black Hat's teeth, a ragged breath filling the scientist's lungs. He pulled him closer, digging his teeth deeper at the offer.

"Ggh! S-Sir..." Flug arched toward him, back muscles spasming as infernally sharp claws dug into his spine. Something in the back of his mind told him that the heat suddenly emanating from his body was being too easily combatted for how little they were touching, but he decided to shelve the thought in favor of clutching Black Hat's coat.

The daggers in his shoulder suddenly released with a faint squelch, the eldritch guiding his lips up into a rather tame kiss. He could taste himself on the other's lips, a tartness he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with. It was nothing compared to the lavish, decadent, opulent teal he dined on the previous night. It almost frustrated him, but he held back an uncharacteristic whine and instead pressed up against him, capturing more of the eldritch's lips. He pushed aside the remaining air between them, sliding into Black Hat's lap. His tongue flickered out, teasing a thin lip into his mouth and-

Claws gripped his hair and yanked his head back. "No biting."

"Nngh." He shifted his hips, eyes half lidded even as the cool air brought a sense of logic to him. "Y-you bit me." Flug caught the quick glance Black Hat sent to his shoulder; ruby fluids pooled in the hollow of his collarbone and dripped down his back. The next thought brought a smirk to his lips. "You're marking me, aren't you?"

" _No biting me_ ," Black Hat reiterated, a dangerously predatory gleam in his eye.

Flug kept eye contact with him for a good few moments, then nuzzled his nose under his jaw, still smirking. The eldritch let out a puff of breath, mumbling incoherently and stroking down the scientist's back, sated by the show of submission. There was something... nice about being close to the other. He decided to distract himself by tracing over the thin scars marring marbled skin. He'd have to find a way to-

A sudden sharp pain erupted along Black Hat's neck. Flug murred, nuzzling closer and suckling the spot while the eldritch sat straight-backed and stupefied. His scientist just... _bit_ him! He's _still biting him._ Even though he told him specifically not to. The little - it must have been Flug's _plan_ for him to get lost in thought before he struck, the cunning, conniving, irresponsible, brilliant-

Whoa, okay! This cambion had stronger jaws than he expected. Flug, the inexperienced little brat, might actually succeed in breaking through this form's throat at this rate. The moment any of the pressure on his neck released, he let his form shift.

Flug was still blinking when he hit the mattress, wrists constrained by inky tendrils of varying shapes and sizes. He shuddered, body still shaking from the short glimpse of Black Hat's true nature, and flattened his legs to accommodate the eldritch as he slithered up his body. His clothes were disheveled, his body moving unnaturally to cover the cambion, one hand next to his head and the other clawing it's way to his throat. Black Hat hadn't even fully coalesced yet, his entire body twitching and growing and removing extra arms and eyes and teeth and tendrils. Darkness filled the room. A beacon of red hovered over the doctor, gleaming in the half light.

The overall feeling was much the same as it had been in the past: anxiety, adrenaline, fear. But it differed with the close proximity, the way Black Hat hovered over him, claws and teeth _threatening_  and _not_  biting. He felt exhilerated, the thrill bringing out some part of him he barely knew existed. It also vaguely registered with him that the Eldritch was defining a sort of line in their relationship, one that wasn't meant to be crossed. Or maybe he just wanted to put forth that he didn't like being bitten.

Flug shuddered and pressed his hips up against the Eldritch, letting his head fall back with a submissive whine. His tendril snuck between them, curling around the edge of Black Hat's pants as it searched for comfort. The action was more passive than anything else, a subconscious, "Apologies," that couldn't be voiced coherently through the haze of endorphins flooding his body. A tongue flickered over his neck, lips gently pressing against skin in acceptance. The contact sent a shiver through him. The Eldritch felt cooler than normal. He wanted to ask why, but decided to put it to Black Hat's shapeshifting; now that he thought of it, he did remember changes in temperature every now and then when his boss got truly angry.

The tendril finally found purchase and slid beneath the garment of clothing. Pleasure coursed through Flug's body at the sudden friction, but he forced himself to still upon hearing Black Hat hiss into his ear. The tightness loosened, providing enough room for the tendril to properly feel around in the confined space. The feeling of something ice cold made his hips jerk.

"Mm. So needy." A hand traced over his collar bone, dragging half-dried blood over his chest.

"Nngh..." A moan fell from his lips before he could stop himself, the following words spilling unrestrainedly: "I want to please sir."

His tendril slid over a split in Black Hat's skin. The eldritch exhaled breathily. "Is that, 'I want to. Please, sir,' or, 'I want to please, sir?'"

"B-both," he gasped, a single hand blindly searching for the eldritch's hips. His eyes slid down his body, taking in the lanky, lithe form of his boss. Certain bones stuck out in alien ways, the frame generally human, but the detailing obviously different. He could have focused on the talons replacing toes, or the sharpened shinguards extending from his knees, but the first thing he noticed was how smooth Black Hat's abdomen was. There weren't any indents from ribs, accents around his upper chest or stomach, or a dip at his navel. There was, however, a barely noticeable slit between his legs, right where his own tendril was lapping up that deliciously cool liquid.

"Are you going to just stare, or are you actually going to do some-"

Flug bumped his head up to his chin, lavishing his throat and jaw with kisses and murmurs. "Beautiful, beautiful..." He was fairly certain he switched to some other language partway through, and Black Hat rolled his eyes more than once. But he was accepting it and nuzzling back when appropriate.

"You are ridiculously innocent for a demon." The eldritch pushed him back onto the bed and reached between them, easing the doctor's tentacle into his slit and letting out a hiss of air as the thin specimen shuddered and sought out more of his freezing confines. Flug arched his back, legs quivering and folding inward at the sensation. Black Hat lowered himself until their hips locked. He honestly was somewhat surprised by Flug's length; he could feel the tip coil around itself in the limited space, providing the mock sensation of ridges. A delicate hand settled over his stomach. "Mm. Finally."

"S-sir-? Ahh!" Black Hat lifted himself and slammed down, relishing the doctor's expression of pure bliss. "O-oh, Hell-"

Hips ground into him, rolling before pulling up and slamming down and rising and rolling mercilessly. Black Hat leaned back, bucking against him and grinding until their bones pinch together.

Flug took carefully measured breaths, vaguely feeling a clawed hand force one of his legs to the bed as Black Hat leaned back further. A thicker tendril suddenly filled the remaining space inside the Eldritch, wrapping around the smaller tendril and pulsing heatedly. Black Hat tilted his head back with a curse, claws digging into Flug's knee even as his hips flinched back. A small, breathy noise escaped the Eldritch, quickly followed by a growl and rolling hips.

He forced himself to lift his head, gazing up at Black Hat as he worked himself over his length. The whipcord length of his abdomen flexed with an alien anatomy. Even having been manhandled by the Eldritch, he was still pleasantly surprised by the blatant power behind every motion of Black Hat's body. Furthermore, he was certain the eldritch was being gentle, though the barely noticeable teal dancing across his face proved he wanted to be anything but.

The next time Black Hat slammed onto him, he gripped his hips and bucked forward. The Eldritch tossed his head, gasping. His eyes rolled into his head as a low, gravelly noise left his chest. Flug pulled himself upright, nipping along the smooth contours of Black Hat's chest. He experimentally rolled his hips, shuddering as their bodies pressed closer. His hands gripped his hips loosely, nose buried in his neck as their skin slapped together in sacrilegious harmony. Black Hat's movements stuttered and jerked the moment freezing somethings curl over the scientist's back and shoulders, some looping around his hips and yanking to add force to their thrusts. Portions of his body were entirely covered in the tentacles. It was a suffocating he never knew could feel so amazingly great. In moments, he was grinding his hips erratically against a jerking and tensing Black Hat. Bites littered his shoulders, claw marks dug into his side and chest, and then that ice cold pressure around him tightened, the tentacles wrapped around his body making his hips jerk hard and fast into his boss. He cursed, doubling his pace even as his vision blurred.

A clawed hand gently combed through his hair as they slowly settled down from their high. Flug panted against Black Hat's shoulder until he felt hands press at his chest. He let out a whine, finally removing his grip on the eldritch's hips and tilting his body back. A shudder split through him as Black Hat slid off him, laying back and holding his stomach with a greedy smirk on his face. The doctor curled up next to him, eyes level with the other's hands. His eyelids fell heavily over his vision, again requesting slumber, but he forced himself to steady his breathing before sinking any further into sleep.

"You might want to clean yourself up," Black Hat murmured.

Flug grumbled something nonsensical and buried his face in his arms, but received no reprimand. He could feel his body cooling down to a more average temperature. His tongue flopped uselessly as he tried to say something. He felt claws sink into his hair and vaguely heard mumbled words in response before completely slipping into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a link to some messy concepts of my Flug's face. In case anyone was curious. I might make some more soon.
> 
> https://corruptapostasy.tumblr.com/post/162382044844/i-drew-this-a-while-ago-but-felt-kinda-nervous


	3. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo! It has been ages since I updated this. In all honesty, I've had this sitting around for a while. Something's been bugging me about it, but I figure you guys deserve reading it after such a time.

The following few days were more of a blur and full of discomfort than the first two. Black Hat had warned him that starving himself would make him act irrationally even days after the fact, something he couldn't quite remember ever happening beforehand.

(In retrospect, that could have been how the Eldritch had found him. Even back then he had mostly been killing by conventional means, and only when the urges got to him. And if all of that was him just eating souls, well... he probably left a pretty obvious trail. For Black Hat at least.)

Black Hat hadn't been wrong. Halfway through his forth day, he tried clawing his way through the door, only to be distracted by a rat that shouldn't have been able to get inside the mansion. The eldritch arrived with an entire carraf of Somali coffee only to find him hovering over its vivisected corpse. The following day, Black Hat introduced him to a would-be test subject that had a particularly resilient soul. Flug, after being ordered to take a shower because _79 hells he was a messy eater._ spent the rest of the day buried under Black Hat's bed sheets. After that was... blurry, at best.

He vaguely recalled heat-soaked nights, a discomfort clinging to his skin that had him writhing by himself until he relieved himself or until Black Hat could get out of his office and help him. Those nights always ended with half-sated pleasure and reassuring murmurs, until he fell back into a fitful slumber. There were a few days where he actually got some work done, but it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the days he lost and was mostly comprised of sloppy notes on lined paper. What he remembered most vividly, however, was all the souls he harvested. He wasn't sure where exactly Black Hat was finding all these people, but his boss used this time to teach him ways to extract souls other than through brutally murdering their throats. He was surprised to discover all the different methods and how they made the souls taste different. Some made the soul sweeter, or smoother, or... crunchy? Crunchy wasn't the exact word for it, but... he supposed that would be as close as he could get. Something in the metaphysical texture changed.

Flug could also remember a few times he had nearly escaped Black Hat's room. Most of them simply ended with Black Hat finding him, his next memory that of him simply waking up in bed again, so he couldn't be entirely certain if he was dreaming or not. That was right about when the truly blurry period of his time began. He could tell vaguely where he had been, but not by sight - the quiet atmosphere of Black Hat's room, the cooler confines of the torture chamber, the humid air of the showering room were what he remembered most - and the only true markers of time were the fleeting memories of cold hands on his back and warm food in his stomach. Some base memory of discomfort was brought to him sometime after his senses returned.

He was currently curled on a couch he didn't remember seeing, wearing clothes he had never dressed in before, with his head in a cross-legged lap. The majority of his vision was obscured by a leathery book with the title "Septimus Peunus et Balvus." Gloved hands flipped through the pages as small murmurs floated down with an agitated tone. A hand swooped down beneath the book to gently caress his scalp with soft fingers, dragging a small sigh from Flug's mouth and a stretch from his body. The murmuring stopped after a moment. He felt eyes on him, but for whatever reason didn't feel eager to face his boss.

"How do you feel?"

Flug tried to let out a hum in response, but wound up making a dry wheeze instead. He swallowed and coughed to clear his throat and tried again. "Tired, but... normal, I guess."

"Hm." Black Hat snapped the book shut, sliding it onto a nearby end table. "Your fever's gone."

"Fever?"

"You fell under some kind of demon sickness. From your hunger."

He frowned and made a curious noise, turning his eyes to look at Black Hat. The Eldritch was bowed over him, eyes searching for something. After a moment of eye contact, he exhaled and leaned back.

"The sicknesses are the real reason why hungers are dangerous. Demons are twisted, or prone to chaotic tendencies, but they can still lose themselves and fall into their own form of insanity. It's a sort of defense mechanism for starving. Your biology figures you starved once and it doesn't want to starve again, so it unleashes your more primal side. Sometimes it can't reign it back in." He huffed and returned his attention to his book, though he didn't read the page.

Flug stared unblinkingly at Black Hat, while the eldritch avoided his gaze. He slowly brought a hand to his cheek, thumb rubbing against the coolness until their eyes locked once more. "I'm here, sir."

Black Hat huffed, quickly putting a hand over Flug's, but surprisingly not removing it. "You're my only scientist, Flug. I can't have you going insane. Like I've been saying: we're business partners."

Flug couldn't help but look away at the statement. He brought his hand back down, shifting onto his side. Black Hat said nothing, but gently combed his claws through his hair.

~~~~~~~~~~

"So what happened?"

Dementia bounced on the other side of Flug's main desk while he observed the chemical reaction between certain fluids and crystals. He had retrieved his normal attire - geeky shirt, jeans, sneakers, lab coat, paper bag, goggles - but he hadn't picked up his previous experiment, the one he had slaved over until his hunger put him out of commission for almost a week and a half. It was probably for the best; Black Hat had contrived a rather simple explanation for his absence, and it had everything to do with that experiment in particular.

"I was sick," Flug said idly, holding a dropper over his flask and quickly releasing four drops. "Black Hat didn't want it to spread to you guys."

"Oh, bull." She knelt, arms sprawled across the desk, to watch as the chemicals fizzed. "He wouldn't care if you got us sick."

"It wasn't a normal illness, Dementia."

"Right, right. Some kind of demon sickness, right?" She gave him an odd look through the glass.

"There's a reason I was testing that machine with the door closed, Dementia." He returned the annoyed look, though she wouldn't be able to see it.

"Yeah, but Black Hat isn't a demon, Flug. So you couldn't have caught it from some byproduct of him."

He rolled his eyes, stoppering the flask and slowly swirling it with one hand. "First off, we don't know where eldritches came from. They could be the ancestor of everything in existence. Which means they could be related to demons and thus provide demonic solutions. Secondly, I was testing it on a demonic specimen when the device went haywire. Either way, I was exposed to demonic influences."

"If eldritches are related to demons, or even made them, wouldn't Black Hat have been able to just cure you?" She narrowed her eyes, propping her chin on her palm. "I don't think I've even seen you get sick before. And I don't think demons spread 'sickness' to people-"

"Plague spirits."

"Those aren't demons!"

"The Greeks would beg to differ."

"The Greeks are dead!"

"Your point being?"

"My point is that demons don't spread illnesses nowadays!"

"And how would you know that?"

"Because it's my-"

"What are you two idiots arguing about?"

The two froze, spines straightening as they gave each other mirrored expressions. Then Dementia's lips curled inward in a hideous smirk. Flug felt his stomach drop, gloved hand tightening around his flask as she giggled and turned to Black Hat with a bounce. She giggled again and skittered toward him.

"I'm trying to find out what really happened to Flug last week," she said proudly.

If she were anyone else, Black Hat would have gutted her for her insolence.

"He was sick, cursed by a demon," he snapped, eyes narrowing. "Now stop bothering him; we're already behind schedule, and we need more weapons manufactured." He let out a low growl as he turned his focus to Flug, giving him a quick once-over before rolling his eyes and turning on his heel.

The ear piercing squeal that hit the scientist's ears almost made him lose his grip on his flask.

"I knew it! You two are hiding something!" Demencia grinned triumphantly.

Flug mumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes, turning back to his station. "I just got sick, Dementia."

"You never get sick, and Black Hat never leaves here without yelling at you," she fired back. "Where even were you hiding this last week?"

"It was a week and a half," he grumbled, "and I was quarantined in one of the guest rooms."

"One of the guest rooms? 505 would have noticed."

"Nothing happened, Dementia," he snapped, biting his lip as he registered the fatal slip. His eyes narrowed on Dementia's as she raised a brow, lips curling further as she leaned over the table - and beaker - in her eagerness. Snatching the flask to avoid any kind of accident, he turned away and walked toward another lab bench, proceeding to filter the chemical into a smaller test tube. Her footfalls echoed his. "I honestly just got sick. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Well, maybe that's the truth in the lie," she quipped, "but something else happened."

Dr. Flug gently tapped the glass tube, inspecting for any other signs of a continuing reaction. "You could always ask Black Hat, but I doubt he'll tell you anything I haven't."

"That's because you're both in on it!" She stepped up next to him, but knew well enough to keep her hair away from the chemicals on this bench. "You two were in cahoots for _days_. Black Hat ordered a stop on all manufacturing until you were better, and he cut off quite a few of his business calls to check on you. And there were these times he was gone for a while; Fives and I almost got worried after the first few times, but he came back fine."

He dug through a drawer for a striker and turned on a burner, grabbing some tongs and holding the vial over the flame. "Demon sickness is pretty serious, Dementia. I was barely aware of myself. I... He probably wanted to make sure I didn't escape or hurt anyone."

"Escape?" Dementia's eyes widened, and this time she didn't care for safety as she forcibly turned him toward her. The chemical sloshed around in the test tube, but didn't spill out of the container. "People don't just _escape_ from Black Hat's Manor. _You_ don't escape from Black Hat's Manor. You'd be dead before you could make it two feet out the door-"

"He wouldn't just kill me. I'm his only scientist."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Seriously maimed. Better? And what's all this about hurting us, and Black Hat protecting us by keeping you away? What was going on?"

"I - I..." He bit his lip, thankful for his bag hiding him. It would be so easy to tell her, but he had already agreed with Black Hat that his secret was best kept to the two of them. Perhaps some day, when they figured out exactly what he was and how to properly deal with his hunger, he would tell the others. There were just too many holes in his story, even when he told everything he knew. Still, it would be nice to... vent a little. A slow breath left his mouth as he turned away. "I wasn't in control of myself, like I said. I - I really don't want to talk about it."

Her expression contorted into one of confused worry. "Flug-Bug?"

"I need to work." His hands shook slightly as he swirled the contents of the tube. He could, maybe, pass it off as something else. Stress. Or anxiety. Everyone knew he hated not being in control of himself and his projects.

The solution turned an ugly beige color.

"What happened, buddy?" Dementia's tone was softer, no longer poking and prodding but merely asking to hear him out.

He took a breath, paused, then exhaled and shook his head. "It... I-I can't quite explain it. I th-thought I'd be - be able to control myself, but..." A whistling breath made it's way through his teeth. A barking laugh slipped out of him. "I'm kidding myself. I barely remember what happened. I c-can't even be certain of where I was! All I know, Dementia, is that I couldn't control myself even if I wanted. I was - I killed..." Flug carefully set the test tube in a rack to cool. "Whatever. It's nothing I've never done before. I shouldn't even be upset about any of it." He shut off the burner, huffing as he leaned back against the lab bench.

"So what are you mad about?" Dementia gave him a strange look, popping her hip out and pursing her lips.

He rolled his eyes and knelt to search through a cupboard. Keeping his hands busy always helped when stress got to him. "Why does it matter? It's not like it's hurting anyone."

"You've already blown something up, Flug."

"That's in my job description."

"Oh, come on, Flug." She knelt next to him. "You're never this bothered by anything. Talk to me."

He let out a groan, roughly resting his forehead on the top of the cupboard. The silence that followed stretched for an eternity. In all honesty, the doctor hadn't expected Dementia to stick around his lab for so long. After all, Black Hat _did_ say that she should leave him alone. But she had a point: he had been feeling off ever since he got back to work. The last few days had been quiet, which gave him time to tinker and put together new equipment, but it had been _too_ quiet. Black Hat rarely came by, Dementia hadn't prodded him at all, 5.0.5. didn't knock anything over. As much as he hated disruptions, the quiet... gave him too much time to think. He closed his eyes and exhaled, lazily thumping his head against the cupboard again. Dementia rubbed his back, shifting to sit more comfortably.

_"This doesnt change anything."_

Sometimes he wanted to run away from all of... this. All the inventions, all the villainy, all the anxiety. He needed space, goddammit, and more specifically time outside of this mansion. But whenever he truly got fed up with it all, when he was right on the brink of leaving, he would realize he didn't _want_ to leave. Not really. Leaving meant going back to his previous bosses. Leaving meant living on the streets, incapable of producing the machinery he loved to create. He didn't want to live in a place that wouldn't appreciate him, and as much as Black Hat yells, he knows it isn't out of disrespect. It had always been something else, something the Eldritch had failed to communicate up until now. But the sudden quiet coming from him, the sudden lack of communication and interaction, made something in him burn with an ache he didn't quite understand.

_"Like I said: we are just business partners."_

Swallowing roughly, Flug climbed up to his feet. Dementia was right - though he hated to admit it. He needed to talk. He couldn't just walk around without telling anyone anything. It was ridiculous. He really wasn't a person who could confine this kind of secret when it could potentially harm those around him. Of course, he couldn't just come out and tell Dementia and 5.0.5. _e_ _verything_ , but he needed to get things straight with Black Hat.

For starters: were they _really_ just business partners?

"What are you doing?" Dementia almost sounded worried as she tailed him down the halls of the building.

Flug clenched his fist and strode forward, ignoring the slight tremors in his body. "I have to talk to Black Hat."

"He's in one of his meetings right now-"

"Yeah, well, guess what? We're business partners, so he'll just have to suck it up."

Dementia gaped, eyes widening before narrowing with a malicious smile. "Since when were you so ballsy?"

He merely grumbled to himself, slamming open the office doors and letting them fall shut with a loud thud. Black Hat, perched elegantly in his ruby throne, phone held delicately by one clawed hand, looked up and glared. The doctor swallowed and strode forward, holding his gaze even as he planted his palms on the office table.

"We need to talk."

"I'm in the middle of a very important call-"

Flug slammed a hand on the receiver, effectively cutting off the squawking of the person on the other side of the line. "We need to talk...  _partner_."

Black Hat's eyes narrowed further, his pupils nothing more than slits. He gently set the phone down. "What do you want?"

"I want a l-lot of things." He retreated, hiding a shiver going down his spine by clicking his heels together and crossing his arms. "Answers, for one. Lots of them. A-and an apology-" Flug instantly raised a hand as the eldritch opened his mouth. "- _if_ I get a certain answer to one of those questions."

Black Hat slowly pressed back into his chair, claws just barely digging to his desk, arms stretching out in front of him, and face twitching into an awkward expression. Maybe it was some form of disgust. Maybe it was hatred. "This is about... us, isn't it?"

The scientist sighed, expression unreadable as a result of the glaring light bouncing from his reflective goggles. He knew that tone. It was the same tone Black Hat used when he didn't want to go shopping, whether it be for groceries or to the black market. His fingers reflexively rolled against his arm. "Yes, it is. Your little ploy set up for 5.0.5. and Dementia isn't going to last long if they keep noticing differences in our behavior."

The expression on Black Hat's face dropped, then turned into a scowl as he leaned forward, claws properly digging into his table. "Don't play coy with me-"

"If you want me to be more up-front with you, then maybe you should act like you actually care about me!" His entire body trembled with the sudden emotion flowing from him, an arm swinging out. "D-don't dance around me, or tell me we're 'business partners,' or imply that you did all of that so I could continue to be useful to you!" His hands were back on the table, just inches from Black Hat's. "You know, I actually thought you knew about me before I screwed up. I thought you were attentive enough, maybe even watched through the walls or something to make sure you knew everything, at least so you could use it later. But no. I've been here for years, decades even, and the great Black Hat couldn't tell a cambion from a normal human!"

The Eldritch growled, rising to glare at him with a superior height. "You dare-"

"Yes, I fucking dare!" His fist slammed on the table, the only sound afterwards being the squeaks from his rubber gloves. "You had me for the better part of a week and a half, I gave myself to you, and now what? Either you never cared and were just using me, or you don't know what to do. Whatever it was, I need to know what's going on. It's messing with me. I'm not - I'm not _working_ properly. And the others are noticing, and they're asking questions I don't know how to explain, and-"

Hands suddenly gripped his shoulders and shook him. "Guh, I reciprocate your feelings, Flug! Do you really think I would go through all that for almost two weeks, just for the fun of it?" The doctor was suddenly pushed back, the immaculate eldritch straightening his coat. "I need time to digest this, literally. Ideas and bonds are things that I need to process. You wouldn't understand. You really don't know anything about the occult other than what I've provided, don't you?" Black Hat rounded his desk and grumbled while siphoning a variety of books from the nearby shelves. "You demons are always so finicky."

Flug exhaled loudly, arms crossing loosely as he followed the eldritch's movements with his eyes. "And you aren't?"

The space in front of him was suddenly filled with shadows and books, instinctively making him flinch. Clawed hands pushed the stack of textbooks into the scientist's arms. "Read these. Maybe you'll actually learn something."

Flug stumbled, but didn't drop any of the texts. "Some of these aren't even-"

"Read. Them."

He sighed, turning away from Black Hat and opening his arms. A hiss escaped from the Eldritch and a hand gripped the scientist's elbow just as a small rift opened in the floor. The books fell inside before the hole sewed itself shut again. No screams came from it, only a weighty sense of _something_ on the other side of the portal. His eyes trailed up to meet his doctor's.

"Explain."

There was a long moment of silence, then a sigh. "I'm not going to hide myself from you anymore. There's no point to.  So, I guess we both have some things to learn." He pushed the claws off his arm and turned toward the door. "I'll come by later with the neurotoxin for you to test."

"Yes, yes." The eldritch seemed to sigh, and his eyes traced Flug's movements to the door. "And, Doctor?"

"Yes, Sir?" He paused with a foot out the door.

"If the others do bother you so much, feel free to tell them whatever makes you comfortable. Since you're having difficulties working."

He stayed still for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, sir."

As the door swung shut behind him, Black Hat allowed a quiet exhale to leave his lips. A cambion. Heh. Right. His eyes turned to where the void had been opened. Most demons couldn't do that, let alone cambions. Unless....

Horrors, this was giving him a headache. He rounded his desk and stopped with a hand on the chair's back. It was impossible. Flug couldn't shapeshift. He would know if he could do that. But he could produce _rifts?_ What else could produce rifts like that? Bending space-time was one of the few things that made lower class demons crawl to eldritches. It was one of the only ways any of them could physically leave hell.

Which beckoned another question: if Flug really was some kind of cambion with an eldritch half, why would he come here? Why approach an eldritch, especially if he was part eldritch?

Well, knowing Flug, it would have to do with his past, hence why he had yet to spell it out in words. Maybe he needed the cover from someone, or maybe demons didn't take kindly to his heritage. He wouldn't be surprised either way.

He growled to himself and glared out of his window. He couldn't tell what was pissing him off more: that Flug could hide himself for so long, or that he needed to in the first place. Sure, the scientist had issues, but he was his boss, not some low life, scum of the earth cretin. And, well, now they were a _thing_ , which, yeah, definitely not helping his headache.

Damn dimensional constrictions.


	4. Knowledge for the Ages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black Hat's figured some shit out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kicks door open, panting, arms full of papers spilling all over the place*
> 
> I'm - fucking - BACK, BITCHES! And by back, I mean back from hell. Sorry about the hiatus. Between school and getting sick and the holidays.... Well, some silly part of me thought this would be up earlier. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> AHH! I forgot to mention DevilDog from the comments of the previous chapter. They offered some ideas on Flug's past that I had already been thinking of, but it was so spot on it deserves the shoutout. Like the way you think, bud.

_While ostensibly the most dangerous creature known throughout the infinite planes of existence, Eldritches are commonly misinterpreted by other creatures as just another common threat. Whether this comes from the instinctive knowledge that these creatures have always lurked among us, or the choice of vessel they assume, is unknown. However, if these prior cases are assumed to be correct, then it would be even more interesting to pursue the occasional subject found to be entirely undisturbed by the presence of an Eldritch. The implications of beings not becoming alert in the presence of one of these creatures are many, but most logicians perceive this to mean the individual to be of a status above an Eldritch, or that, in some unknown way, they are linked to an Eldritch._

Flug exhaled, tapping the page and then flipping the book closed. Inky eyes blinked at him from the cover. Shivering, he tossed the book into a cabinet and closed it, only taking another breath when his portal closed behind it. His leg bobbed under his desk. He had already read most of the tombs provided to him, but, even though a few did give him new information, he found them all to be... dissatisfying. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, but they didn't feel... right. As if they were too scientific.

A small laugh escaped him. _Too scientific._  He doubted there was anything _t_ _oo scientific_  about anything in the world. Galaxy. Universe. Multiverse. Whatever it was they were in. One of his fingers trailed along the desk, aimlessly writing patterns into the surface. There had to be some other reason for Black Hat to give him those books. Was it something specific about the books? Was it about their relationship? Maybe he really did just want him to understand more about Eldritches. But why would he give him materials that conflicted with each other? To make him think? To make him decipher what the truth about Eldritches was?

Dr. Flug slid a golden-accented pistol closer to him and began fiddling with the particle emitter. It was well beyond midnight, but too much laid on his mind for him to sleep. Some part of him worried he'd dream of... something from the last week. The rest of him was too paranoid to allow himself a moment of rest. Black Hat and he might be dating (?) but that didn't change much with how they interacted with each other. Black Hat continued to frighten him - in a villainy way, not anything harmful, of course - and Flug continued to draft blueprints and scrounge together weapons and tools for him. If the Eldritch stood a little closer or tightened his grip a little less, Flug could barely tell.

Though, he did notice something weird the last few times Black Hat had entered his lab. Nothing noticeable by Dementia or 5.0.5, but.... He exhaled as a ghost of the feeling crept up his throat. He very specifically remembered telling off Dem for switching his wiring around, but he also very clearly remembered seeing Black Hat stroll into the lab, the scene clearly in slow motion as he put his right foot on the ground, the fingers on his right hand trilling against his cane, the left corner of his lip quirking in a sneer as he-

Flug shook his head, lowering his screwdriver onto the table. That had happened at least four times now, time slowing down around the Eldritch. It was always slightly disorienting, but nothing he couldn't handle. The best way to describe it would be the feeling of having a second pair of eyes which only opened when Black Hat was in the room. They sought him no matter where he came from, no matter what form he took.

(He came through the cupboards once. Pure, wispy shadows. He later logged it for further research.)

Flug rubbed his forehead through his bag and hesitantly raised a hand into the air. He shouldn't. Sighing, he brought his hand down and traced a circle onto the desk, then reached into the hole and retrieved one of the smaller tombs. It was the only one _not_  on Eldritchian customs or biology. The cover clearly read _Souls_  in a loopy, sprawling script. The first few pages were dedicated to summarizing the first twenty creatures with any kind of affinity toward souls.

Soul Eater was number three.

_Astute, observant creatures, these beings tend to require sustenance in the form of pure souls. The methods used to extract them vary from S.E. to S.E., but a lack or starvation from them leads to a withdrawal of their common sense. Similar to most Common Demons, this withdrawal can be permanent, depending on the severity of the starvation._

It was clear. Very... familiar. Very direct. But a part of him still couldn't accept it. A Soul Eater? He was part Soul Eater? Well, of course he knew he consumed souls. That was obvious. But there were plenty of other beings that ate souls. Most demons, to name a few. Soul eaters were different in that they could eat souls no matter the circumstance or consistency. A lot of demons couldn't eat intensely sinful or pure souls, but Soul Eaters were famed for just feeling hungry and picking the nearest soul around. One of his earliest memories was of a Soul Eater walking down the street and then suddenly grabbing the kid walking next to him. The sight of those glassy eyes while the child laid on the sidewalk haunted him to this day.

It just didn't feel right that he would be kin to someone like that. He was always very particular about who he took.

He shook his head and flipped to the middle of the tomb, scanning the page and finding nothing useful. Maybe Black Hat could elaborate on the whole "You cambions are so picky" thing. Were cambions known to be picky, or was that just Black Hat stereotyping them? Either way, the tomb didn't seem to have the answer. A page dedicated to soul bonds was bookmarked. That was pretty much the only novelty it had.

Flug's back straightened as the door to the lab slid open, black and white shoes clapping against the floor. Black Hat stopped for a moment, a frown on his face, but didn't say anything to the scientist before walking toward him.

"Didn't I tell you to not stay up so late?" There was less of a growl in his voice. Maybe he was still recovering from digesting their new bond or something.

The scientist finished reading his sentence. "I couldn't sleep."

Black Hat leaned against the table, watching him. "Doctor."

"Sir?" He raised his head, bringing his eyes to the Eldritch's. Black Hat's pupil narrowed, then contracted, and narrowed again.

"Do you ever have night terrors?"

The cambion blinked at the question. Coming from anyone else it would have been harmless. But from Black Hat? He closed the book. "Seldom, sir. It's more of my imagination keeping me awake tonight."

A blur of motion and Black Hat had flipped Flug's chair outward, gripping the armrests. "None of me?"

He blinked, his heart hammering slightly at the sudden closeness. He shook his head. "N-no, sir."

His eye narrowed again, but he didn't say anything. He pursed his lips and slowly straightened himself, tapping the tomb on the lab bench. "You've been reading."

"Y-yes, sir. I'm almost done, act-actually."

"Hm." He crossed his arms, his stare almost petulant. He wasn't disappointed, was he?

The doctor smoothed his coat and straightened in his chair. "What, um, what is this about, sir?"

Black Hat was quiet for a moment. With a sigh, he picked up the book and flipped toward the end, leaning against the lab bench in tense ease. "How many 'stages' are there in the maturation of a soul bond?"

Under his bag, Flug frowned. Was he quizzing him now? "Five, sir."

The Eldritch stared.

"...Lust, admission, reciprocation, marking, and solidification."

He flipped through more pages. "What patronymic is used for an Eldritch?"

"None, sir."

"What demon can only devour the souls of murderers?"

"The Jintoli, sir."

"How many realms do Eldritches inhabit at any given time?"

"Thirteen, sir."

"How did you know that?"

Flug stared. "What do you mean? It's in the book-"

"That's not in the book. It's not in any of them." He exhaled and snapped the book closed, tossing it carelessly onto the table. "But you gave the right answer."

He watched him, eyeing his every twitch for a solid minute. "I don't think I'm following."

"Flug, I didn't notice you _at all_  up until now." He straightened, no longer leaning on the desk. "You just seemed... average. Granted, sometimes you seemed _too_  average, but I never even thought you to be anything _but_ human."

The doctor shifted. "I did try to hide myself rather well-"

"No, stop." Black Hat gripped the arms of his chair and leaned over him. His jaw clenched and the slits of his nostrils flared. "You _know_ that doesn't do anything to an Eldritch. We can _tell_ humans apart from demons, demons apart from cambions. It's _easy!_  I never _looked_ for anything particular about you because I didn't notice _anything_ peculiar about your being. You felt normal. Not like a cambion. You still do."

Flug stayed quiet for a moment. His heart hammered as if it knew something he didn't, as if it were trying to escape the attention given to it. The fingers in his left hand twitched. A fist clenched. "I... d-don't see how that's p-possible, sir."

Black Hat leaned closer still, his bodily chill seeping into the air between them. He bared his fangs, though he held back his normal growl. "Oh, but it is. Want to know how?"

"H-how?"

His glare curled into a cruel grin. "There's only one way. You should already know, since you've read so much."

For a moment, there was no sound other than his pulse hammering in his temples. Then the roaring stopped and his stomach plummeted to his feet. His other fist clenched. "No."

"Yes."

"No." More forcefully.

A hand slid under his bag and cupped his chin, not quite raising his head as much as keeping him held there. His whole body shook, vibrating, his eyes trying to do that... that _thing_ again, whatever it was, but slightly different. It was definitely a defensive mechanism. That much was clear to him. He took a shuddering breath.

"That d-does-doesn't make sense," Flug managed, staring at his gloves to avoid his boss' gaze. "I th-thought - I eat souls and I - you said, 'incubus-'"

Black Hat chuckled, dark, sinister, eye glowing in the half-light. His fingers crept up to fall over his scientist's lips. "One drop of Eldritch blood grants the abilities of a billion demons, Flug."

"I..." His lips stuttered, quivering slightly. There wasn't enough evidence, he tried to say. This was a hypothesis, not a theory, not a likely outcome. He was shaking his head before his voice could return.

"Flug." Black Hat cupped his face again. "Why would I lie about this? What would I gain?"

He opened his mouth, and then quickly shut it. His hands flattened onto the armrests of his chair. There was no reason for Black Hat to lie. Not about this. Making his only scientist worried and confused would only harm business, and worrying him over _this_  would leave a permanent scar on company efficiency. Black Hat knew better.

The eldritch let a small sigh escape him, then pressed his flat nose against the man's temple. He held back a frustrated huff at the paper separating them. "To think I possessed the rarest gem in all of the multiverse this whole time." His thumb brushed over the scientist's lower lip. "To think those lowly demons would toss you aside as an 'imperfection.'" Black Hat growled into his ear.

Flug cautiously touched his fingers to the eldritch's wrist and tilted his head up to rub their cheeks together. "If - if I am p-part Eldritch, th-then - then they probably were just af-fr-fraid."

"They should be," he huffed, tracing his collarbone. "And they better be bloody _terrified_  now that you're by my side." His eyes locked onto the cambion. "Every one of them. I want them fried. Worse than tortured."

Flug shuddered. "They d-did-dn't know."

"Why do you care about lives that have only hindered you?"

He brought a shaky hand to Black Hat's lapel. "B-because without them, I wouldn't have found you."

The Eldritch stayed silent, then blew out a whistle of cold air. "Liar." His tongue flicked out and he pulled back just enough for the air between them to return to a breathable temperature. "I've finished thinking."

Flug straightened, eyes wide. He was just about as thankful for the change in subject as he was for the good news. "You have?"

"Yes," he drawled. A tendril wrapped around his waist as the eldritch traced the cartoon explosion on his scientist's chest. "Have you?"

The question startled a small laugh out of him. Black Hat frowned and Flug slid his bag off before taking a hold of his boss' coat again. He pulled him close enough for their lips to brush, gazing into thin-slit pupils. "It was never a question for me."

He huffed a breath through his nose, the simple gesture seeming to make the eldritch blush. "Do you have to make everything so sappy? It's sickening."

"Just kiss me, you idiot."

The space between them collapsed, and in it, something sinisterly elegant unfurled. Perhaps it was the split second glimmer of their future days or the wonderful understanding that no force in existence could stop their endeavors, but _something_  came to be in that single gesture, that single touch, which no words could describe. Twin lips curled as crimson irises locked on silver.

The chair flew out from under the scientist, shattering against the wall, but neither fell as their bodies pressed against each other, denying the air access, and for perhaps a split second Black Hat worried about Flug's spine. Then a fang split his lip and he growled and pulled him upright, dominating his mouth even as they stumbled this way and that. They were heedless of the chemicals surrounding them, falling against desks and knocking beakers to the floor.

It was Flug who broke the kiss, but Black Hat who was first to stop kissing. The scientist lavished his throat, documenting the deep rumbles emanating from Black Hat's chest and purring at the hands slipping under his shirt; his lab coat had fallen ages ago. One of his hands slid across glass as the eldritch pressed him against one of his fancier cabinets. Flug's lips trailed his chin.

"Since when are you patient?" he panted. "Mark me."

Black Hat growled and rutted against him, the Erlenmeyer flasks jostling. "Be careful what you ask for. It might just kill you."

"I'm more durable than you think."

He reclaimed his lips, softer, more reassuring, and Black Hat snatched his hair and yanked in retaliation. He wasn't some damsel needed to be mollified. Flug shuddered and regarded him with half-hooded eyes. His claws were already digging into his ribs. The smell of blood tantalized his senses. A swift motion bounced Flug a head above Black Hat, legs wrapping around the Eldritch. The doctor moved to lift his shirt-

"Nngh!" Flug tensed, muscles spasming as Black Hat's fangs sliced through his shirt and over his ribs and stomach. He quivered and dug his nails into the eldritch's shoulders, absently noting how the placement of such a wound would be noticeable for weeks, if not months, that he would be feeling it every time he moved, every time he laid in bed. Another mouth suddenly sunk into his hip and he cried out, arching into the pain. He knew kisses for infernal beings always came with bites, but he was almost certain he enjoyed them more than he should have. And that Black Hat enjoyed that part of him  _very much._

The eldritch slowly released his jaws, disappearing the scientist's shirt to nibble up his body. His limbs vibrated and fists clenched as he evidently fought the urge to truly tear into the man in front of him. Said man panted and whined, which was definitely not helping his control. Flug, meanwhile, eyed the Eldritch for that perfect spot to mark him. The neck? Too obvious. He wouldn't want people to see it so clearly. A fleeting thought wriggled its way into his mind and a devious grin stretched his face.

"Oh, look at how patient you're being," he cooed, though he himself was breathless. His hands passed over his tie, then his vest and button-up. The Eldritch growled, claws scratching glass. "Waiting for me to mark you."

"If you know where you want it," he growled, "why aren't you marking me?"

He laughed and pulled him in closer by his tie. "I'm not stupid enough to take your clothes off for you."

The eldritch grumbled and suckled his throat as if he had been rather looking forward to seeing Flug try and do so. A moment later, his clothes melted away to reveal the skin of his upper body.

"Mmm. What if I want to go lower - ahh!"

Black Hat snapped his jaws around the scientist's shoulder hard enough for his teeth to grind against his collarbone. The eldritch's shaking lessened slightly, hips grinding against him wantonly. Flug allowed himself a moment to breathe, tracing small patterns into Black Hat's skin. He really wasn't going to last much longer like this. Flug shuddered as Black Hat finally pulled back, staring him in the eyes as blood dribbled down his chin.

He smiled and promptly disappeared from Black Hat's grasps. The eldritch began snarling. That little - dares to just - without even-

Arms wrapped around his chest, a mouth pressing lightly into his shoulder. "Spacial distortion, dearest." Flug waited for him to calm a little bit and mouthed his way across the taut muscles in front of him. He knew he was going too slow. He should really be going faster. But this was the dynamic between them and if he was going to do this, he'd do it the way he wanted. He allowed a small growl to pass from his lips as Black Hat started to turn. Black Hat growled back but went still. He nibbled along his spine, drawing quivers from the muscles, and stopped only when he was almost kneeling behind him lips pursed at the small of his back. A small screech came from Black Hat's nails against glass.

It was all he needed to plunge his fangs into him, taste that beautiful, turquoise blood again. One of them let out a strangled moan. Flug pressed closer, hands roaming the flat expanse of Black Hat's shaking abdomen. He knew what the ripples in his skin were. He knew what they meant. And all he did was close his eyes and smile.


	5. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danger lurks on the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... somehow this thing is getting a little bit of plot? I think? Maybe?
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and support everyone! You've really helped me continue writing through some difficult times.

He awoke pleasantly sore on a spare bedspring matress he had apprehended solely for late night projects in the lab. From where he laid, he could see all the doors, windows, and vents had been locked or otherwise guarded against any prying eyes. He spent a moment with his eyes closed as he recounted the excitement of the previous night. He could feel the connection between them, budding as it was. It almost reminded him of a covalent bond. The thought brought a small chuckle to his lips and a hand to his face.

"I'm such a nerd."

He somehow managed to pull himself into a sitting position. His upper body was littered with bites and claw marks and a few splatters of what could have been acid stains. His smirked as he circled one of the drop sites. Black Hat must have gotten pretty out of it for that to have happened. He didn't mind in the slightest.

It took him longer to actually stand. His wounds pulsed in annoyance and his legs trembled with exertion. He leaned against a wall for a moment and slowly stretched his aching limbs. He shambled toward the med kit, unworried about his nakedness thanks to the lab's lockdown. Given the nature of his profession, and the nature of his colleagues, it took him only a few minutes to sterilize the wounds and dress them in gauze. Then he searched around for a fresh pair of clothes - again, long nights in the lab - and snapped on his goggles and another paper bag. That done, he reviewed the room.

His only chair had been smashed to splinters, and most of the chemicals he had left burning or reacting on the tables had fallen over. In fact, several tables were knocked over in their entirety (a mighty feat, seeing as they were bolted to the floor). A few lights had popped, shards of glass scattered along the linoleum. His shoulders ached sympathetically as he saw several Flug-shaped indentations in the walls. If he focused enough, he could maybe fix some of the damage, but his powers with the arcane arts didn't really stretch beyond spacial distortion and portal creation.

He ultimately decided to clean up the blood first.

Most of it was in drips or smears around where they had - his face flushed as he thought it - bonded and copulated. His poor, poor, blast-proof cabinet was covered in all manners of liquids. He wrinkled his nose as he mopped the floor and sponged everything in the vicinity. As soon as he could get his hands on 5.0.5.'s well-guarded bleach, he would douse everything in the stuff.

A tentative knock came from the main door as he dumped a bucket's worth of mire into one of his sinks. He poured the rest in and wiped his gloves on the nearby towel.

"Coming!" He hurried toward the bulkhead and twisted it open. "Sorry, Fives, I - whoa!"

As the blur of lime and hot pink burst in front of the blue bear and barreled into him, he put his hands in front of his face and let himself fall. Fluffy hands caught him before he could hit the ground and a raucous cry reverberated through the room before falling in pitch.

"What?" Upside down Dementia lowered her spiked club. "Holy shit, what the fuck happened?"

"Uh." He wracked his brain as 5.0.5. pulled him upright. "Demons?"

She turned with a bounce and gave him one of those looks with a half-opened mouth and a raised eyebrow. "Demons? In here? And you took care of them?"

"Erm. Yeah." Technically, it wasn't a lie. "Two were in here."

Dementia raised her bat and pointed it at him. 5.0.5. whimpered. "You _suck_ at lying. Spill."

Flug stammered for a moment, eyes shifting back and forth. He eventually settled for, "It - it really doesn't m-matter, right? I'm fine. Noth-nothing's blown up. I-I'd consider that a win-"

"Shut up. What happened?" Dementia narrowed her eyes and jabbed the bat toward him. 5.0.5. grumbled and held him closer, effectively covering ninety percent of him in fluff. "You've been acting weird ever since that sickness thing. What's going on?"

"I would have thought it was obvious," a voice slithered toward them. "Flug and I had sex."

The sudden silence was deserving of more than just the facepalm Flug gave himself. He wished he could curl inside one of his cabinets and hide for eternity.

"Actually, it was more than just-"

"Stop!" he begged, the break in silence sending him out of 5.0.5.'s arms and just past Dementia. "Stop, stop, stop. Guh. Out. Leave." He pushed against her back, hoping to be able to close off the lab for himself while she was still gaping in shock, but she stuck in place like a rock. Curse his predisposition to weakness!

"Pfft." He could feel the eye roll from behind Dementia. "Meeting in the foyer. Now."

For a moment, Flug stood, shaking, behind Dementia, and then he bolted around both her and 5.0.5. as quickly as possible. His shoes slid on the floor even as he steadied himself, arms flailing wildly. Everything about him was shaking, even though he couldn't entirely tell why. Yes, he didn't like the thought of anyone knowing about Black Hat and him, but he could get over that. Yes, Dementia was a terrifying force that hounded Black Hat with more love notes than a mortal struck by Cupid's arrow, but he knew it was all a farce meant to get under Black Hat's skin and fool the general audience. So why was he suddenly so worried about everything that was going on?

(Other than the fact that he was always worrying about everything, of course.)

Jittery and panting, he ground to a stop on the carpet filling the center of the room. Black Hat sat at one of the round tables, sipping calmly out of a mug and paging through the day's newspaper. Flug impulsively snapped to attention at the sight. He worried his hands, gloves squeaking slightly as he trembled. He could hear the other two ambling down the hall.

"I - I - I-I-"

"Sit." Black Hat waved a pinky toward the seat across from him and Flug lurched toward it on autopilot. He should have wondered why they were meeting in the foyer and why there was a table in the foyer to begin with, but he didn't. His nerves mounted as his knees bent and his hands settled in his lap. Black Hat flipped the page of the newspaper he was reading. "They're going to find out eventually."

"I-" His jaws clamped shut. He gave himself a moment to breathe before trying again. "Th-they didn't have to know."

"Flug, we're bonded now. They'll notice." Black Hat set his mug on the table and shifted his legs to cross one leg over the other. "And _we_  need to work on your abilities, which they'll definitely find out about."

The world tilted slightly and he just about threw up with the tightness in his stomach. He didn't want to tell them. He didn't want them to think of him differently, or ask him questions he didn't know, or show them his powers. He - he couldn't. It was simple. He couldn't.

Before either of them could say anything, Dementia and 5.0.5. entered the foyer. Dementia huffed and crossed her arms as she fell into her seat, and 5.0.5., the loveable bear, tried to hug Flug before standing off to the side behind him. The eldritch continued reading his paper for a solid minute and a half before folding and setting it on the table.

"As I said-"

"Why the fuck didn't anyone tell me!?" Dementia burst out. "I'm the resident gossiper! I deserve to know things like-"

"Yes, and you  _won't be telling anyone about us unless you want to be gutted and hung on my wall for the rest of your pitiful existence._ " Black Hat's eyes burned a pearly white, cracks of red webbing across them as if they were compromised pool cues. Minty ghosts flew from his mouth and lightning crashed outside. In a split second, he was sipping his coffee with a bored expression. "Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, Black Hat," she murmured, eyes transfixed.

"Dr. Flug and I have engaged in a purely consensual relationship," he continued, giving 5.0.5. a fleeting glance over the rim of his mug. "None of this will affect the company or how we act toward others. Understood?"

The three henchmen nodded.

"Furthermore, nothing in this conversation will ever be repeated to anyone outside of the company, as that would risk jeopardizing factors of company security and customer satisfaction. Is _that_  clear?"

A mumbled, "Yes," and a small, "Aroo."

"Good. Questions?"

"How long has it been?" Dementia burst.

"Since the doctor got sick a few weeks ago. We finalized it last night."

"When you had sex?"

"We've had plenty of sex before."

Flug groaned and buried his head in his arms. "At least don't talk about it while Fives is here."

They ignored him.

"What was last night then?"

"Marking ceremony for our soul bond." There was the tiniest bit of embarrassment in his voice. Flug counted that as a minor victory.

"Whoa, whoa. Marking? Like, biting? How's he still alive?"

Major loss.  _Major loss!_

"He's more durable than he looks." Black Hat eyed the doctor. "A lot more durable."

"You've killed things just by _spitting_  on them."

"Mm. Yes."

"So how's he alive!? How's he so durable? What's that even mean!?"

Flug tightened his arms around his head. He didn't want to explain this. He _really_  didn't. But if they were still going to find out....

Yeah, no. He couldn't even raise his head if he wanted.

"He's not human," Black Hat said simply. He waited a moment before continuing. "He's part demon and part Eldritch."

Dementia laughed, then stared as the silence stretched on. "Flug? Part Eldritch? How is that... even...?"

"It's statistically impossible if that's what you mean," Black Hat murmured. "That's not to say it hasn't happened before, but, well, no one was very happy about it. I suppose that's why you never told anyone?"

Flug swallowed roughly. His voice wasn't working, but he could tell Black Hat didn't really need an answer for this one.

"Run out of Hell itself, if you came to me seeking shelter," he mused. "Must have terrified Lucifer half to death just by uttering a word."

" _Lucifer's_ scared of him?" Dementia's voice was a near squeak, as if she was going through the same stress the poor scientist was.

"Any and all demons fear Eldritches and their spawn. It's simple hierarchy." Black Hat reclined in his chair, fixing Flug - still face-down on the table - with a piercing gaze. "Sit up, Flug. You demean yourself."

Slowly, as if rising from a plague, the doctor reigned in his arms and straightened his back. His gloved hands nervously traced the wooden edge of the table, his eyes burned a hole through the surface to the floor (figuratively, of course, though he wouldn't put it past himself to be capable of it; he had seen Black Hat's laser eyes plenty of times before), and his lips remained locked in place. His chest barely moved to breathe, but it did. One of his legs impulsively shook under the table, and he could feel the Eldritch's glare double at the vibrations he put through the carpet.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were part Eldritch!?" Dementia suddenly shouted. She grabbed him by his lapels and shook him slightly. "We're your freaking _coworkers_ , you dweeb!"

He couldn't help the tiny yelp that escaped him. His hands flew up beside his head. "I-I - I didn't know! I th-thought I was somethi-something else, I thought that - that I was just a demon. Demons have lots of crazy abilities that don't make sense. Like - l-like soul consumption and enhanced strength and aversions to garlic mayonnaise. I mean, I could make portals, but that's just higher breed abilities-"

"Shut up," she huffed, releasing him. He thudded back into his chair. "Why didn't you tell anyone about being a demon, then? You could've put the entire company at risk."

"I, well, I...." He trailed off, smoothing his lab coat. A quick glance showed Black Hat watching with crossed arms and an unsatisfied scowl on his face. His voice whistled to nothing as he tried to speak again.

"Come on, Flug! It should be pretty easy to tell us. We already know about you being a demon anyways! Just tell us-"

"I don't-!" The volume of his own voice threatened to make him jump. He swallowed. "I don't want to talk about it."

In the growl that followed, he realized that he had lost. Whatever game he and Black Hat had been playing since he signed that contract had caved in like a stack of cards placed in the eye of a hurricane. Claws sunk into the table and a chair fell back onto the ground.

"Leave," the Eldritch growled, teeth grinding together and acid threatening to drip onto the polished wood beneath him. Dementia and 5.0.5. hesitated. He slammed a fist. The table cracked. _"LEAVE!"_

The bear and lizard girl scattered, leaving the shaking scientist to stare down the frothing form of his more than demonic boyfriend.

"What," hissed Black Hat, "has scared you worse than I have!?"

Thinking back on it, he should have been expecting this; Eldritches were said to be _very_  possessive over their territory. And they took great affront to anyone who could possibly harm said territory and possessions. "S-Sir, you have to understand-"

"I don't _have to_  understand anything, Flug," he snapped, stabbing a hand through the air. "I just need to know _who_ and _how_ and _when_."

"I - I-" He took a deep breath and looked down at his legs. He took another breath. "I don't want you t-to hurt anyone."

"You don't get to make that decision."

"Then I'll never tell you."

The chill that filled the silence was enough to leave frost on his lenses. His entire body shook, but he stood firm (or sat firm, as the case may be) with his fists clenched. If he was entirely truthful, he wasn't as worried about the name he was harboring as he was the person he was harboring it from. He had been around Black Hat for long enough to realize how impulsive and short-term the Eldritch thought. And he would _not_  be the cause of some multidimensional, Eldritchian war.

Black Hat breathed deeply and retracted his claws from mahogany. "Who?"

"Promise you won't hurt them."

"I can't do that. You know I can't."

He swallowed. "Then promise me you w-won't attack them without them attacking you f-first."

Black Hat narrowed his eyes, observing the man in front of him. Something about this felt too strange, but he _needed_ that name. "Alright. Have it your way. I won't attack them until they've attacked me. Now, who is it?"

He hesitated, then crossed his arms and hugged himself. "It's... your brother, sir. White Hat."

. . . . .

The scientist expected Black Hat to spin himself into a hundred different shades of horror. He expected the chandelier to fall - _again_  because it _always_  fell whenever he pissed off the Eldritch - and he expected some rough collar shaking and spittle laden shouting. He could already see the table being reduced to splinters (which 5.0.5. would have to clean up), the door hanging sideways on its hinges, and the newspapers plastered with Black Hat's terrifying visage.

A quick calculation of the most costly damages told him the outburst would likely set them back by only one or two business days' worth of sales. Sadly enough, they were still trying to regain the last three days of his impromptu 'vacation,' so the delay had the possibility of truly causing damage to their monthly and quarterly sales.

But, as it happened, Black Hat merely sat back down and stared at Flug until the scientist decided he was being looked _through_  instead of looked _at_. He wasn't far from wrong. He could feel Black Hat's gaze reassessing every little scratch which had scarred his body, every single unusual mark he had confessed as ancient wounds inflicted by some past figure he could barely recollect. He took a shallow breath, shoulders hunching as the gaze fell deeper, alighting on subjects and memories he had long since forced to the back of his mind.

"S-Sir," he whispered. At the first tremors of his hands, he slammed the metaphorical door in Black Hat's face. He stared at the mahogany between them. "I d-don't - Please don't..."

He didn't quite know what he was asking for. He knew Black Hat would find out sooner or later, and hiding anything from him would only let the worry nagging at him drag on, but he couldn't bear speaking of it. Black Hat let a small exhale whistle out between his lips.

"He's a manipulative son of a bitch when he wants to be," he said. His claws trilled across the surface separating them. "Does he know?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." The words hung in the air between them, caught in the web of some spider foolish enough to encroach on their conversation.

Black Hat sighed again, steepling his fingers and leaning on the table. His unmonocled eye closed. "I'm surprised he let you get away."

"He was always a gentleman," Flug offered weakly. "I doubt he'd allow himself to even try and keep me."

Black Hat hummed and stood. "He's dangerously foolish that way."

"Where - where are you going?" Flug shot to his feet, wincing as his legs bumped the chair over in his haste. "Sorry."

The Eldritch took a deep breath, one eye twitching. "I'm going to my office. We still have a business to attend to." He walked off. "And I wasn't kidding about all those names last night. I want all of them."

"Of - of course, Sir," he shuddered. He hesitated on where to move. So many thoughts jumbled around his head - Why didn't Black Hat flip out? What did he see when looking at him? What about the other questions Black Hat undoubtedly had? - but he couldn't bring himself to pursue the Eldritch (for more reasons than his new assignment, too). He rubbed his forehead and sighed, picking up his fallen chair as Black Hat disappeared down a hall. With any luck (not that Flug ever _had_  any in the first place), Black Hat would simply mope in his office and come back out as if nothing had happened.

He almost rammed his head into a wall at his wishful thinking.

Black Hat didn't mope. Black Hat never lets anything slide. Black Hat got rid of his problems within seconds of discovering them. He was too self-aggrandizing, too prideful to allow anything under his skin for too long. He was the pinnacle of ostentatious luxury and  _nothing_  kept him from indulging in said luxury.

Flug found himself fiddling with some spare parts found in his pockets as he scaled the stairs toward his lab. He knew there were easier, quicker, more efficient means of getting there - namely the halls that seemed to bend time and space, one of which he had used to get to the foyer in the first place - but he felt a walk was in order. Once again, too much laid on his mind to merely return to work, though he didn't doubt that work could make him forget his worries for the time being. No, this predicament of his was worth more analysis.

Black Hat and White Hat were, for lack of better terms, twins. One could say they were the model for every story's protagonist and antagonist, constantly trying to best the other, constantly working to forge ahead, but, ultimately, useless without the other. Many believed there was a very Batman-Joker-esque relationship between the two, and that was why they had yet to truly go to war with each other. Flug was certain most of that was true, but there was a distinct feeling of something else lurking behind the scenes that gave him the impression that there was something _else_  going on between the two.

He paused at the top landing. It couldn't be possible that the two were in some kind of cahoots with one another. All accounts proved they hated each other. And that they hadn't seen or heard from each other directly in millennia. He supposed it wouldn't be _entirely_  impossible for them to meet without arousing suspicion but-

A pink and green blur barreled into his chest. His back hit several sharply pointed steps and his still-healing wounds ached in protest. He instantly pushed his hands up against broad shoulders.

"D-Dementia!" he scolded. "Don't d-do that!"

"Who were you talking about?" Her grin was manic, that look of persistence on her face that foretold of a _very_  long Tuesday afternoon. "I thought I heard White Hat, but if you two were talking about HIM-"

"Dementia," he snapped. She tilted her head, slightly hurt and confused by the uncharacteristic roughness in his tone. He exhaled and bumped his head back on a step. "Please, get off me."

In a split second, she was standing and hoisting him to his feet. She crossed her arms and pouted at him. "You said Black Hat's brother. Black Hat doesn't have a brother."

He exhaled. "Yeah. You're right. He doesn't."

She caught his arm as he tried to scootch around her. "Whoa. Wait. You still said his brother. And then you said White Hat."

"It's...." He sighed again. "I don't know how to explain. In terms both of us can understand, they're related. They call each other brothers."

"But..." She trailed off, then put her hands on her hips. "Wait, so you're telling me that you've met White Hat and managed to not tell anyone about  _that_  either?"

Uh-oh. He stumbled back a step. "I, uh, just remembered that I, uh, left the-"

"Where does he live?" Dementia strode toward him, effectively backing him down the stairs as she made reaches for his shoulders. "We can take his base down if we know where it is, Flug. Come on!"

"It - it was ages ago, Dem," he tried. "Long before I m-met Black Hat. He's surely moved since then-"

"We can still check the place out! Come on, Flug. What if there's scrapped junk lying around? You could reverse engineer stuff!"

"I h-highly doubt it would be - be so easy-" The hand reaching behind him flinched from a podium and he turned, finding himself once again in the foyer. Maybe he should have taken the short way to the labs.

Dementia finally grabbed him by the lapels. "I'll go by myself if I have to, Flug. Where is it?"

"I-I - I c-can't-"

"Aroo?"

Flug's gaze darted to the side for just a moment, Dementia's grip on him slackening briefly. 5.0.5. was wearing his maid's outfit, evidently on his way to or from cleaning the lab, and blinked at the two of them while pushing a cart full of broken linoleum tiles and glass shards.

"Don't worry, bear!" Dementia's voice was a sinisterly sweet squeal. "Just a small argument between friends."

5.0.5. was not buying it. He let go of the cart and frowned at her with his arms against his sides. His mouth opened, a small noise starting in the back of his throat, and then-

A knock on the door. Flug turned his head toward the door - the main door which no one was supposed to be able to reach unless all the defenses were turned off, the door which no one ever used if they were even  _supposed_  to be here - and a feeling of instant dread filled him. Things were spiraling out of control faster than he had expected. Well, he didn't really know _what_ he was expecting, but his senses were telling him this was worse than whatever his subconscious had allowed to grow in his mind.

"Fives, wait-!"

It was too late. In the moment the scientist took to analyze the situation and react to his weirdly omniscient discovery, the blue bear had wandered to the door, ever the most gracious host, and unlatched the front gates of Black Hat Incorporated.


	6. Temporis et Coeli

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug is a stressed little nugget. Black Hat does not like his nugget stressed.

Standing right outside was a near mirror image of Black Hat. Well, maybe more like a reverse mirror image. This person wore a prestine, white frock covering a silvery vest and baby blue dress shirt. A top hat fitting those colors rested on his head. He grinned widely at the bear.

"Hello, there! I'm White Hat, hero extraordinaire. I believe Black Hat is expecting me." He almost bounced with concealed energy, trying his best to peak around 5.0.5. His smile loosened slightly and his eye - the left one since the right was monocled - widened. "Flug?"

His blood ran cold. He could tell Dementia was the only reason he hadn't fallen over. Half of White Hat's body remained obscured by 5.0.5.'s recently combed fur and his mind still couldn't entirely process what he was seeing. It was as if the disk track of his mind had started stuttering as the result of some maniac kid smashing the buttons inordinately. His first coherent thought was of how little the Eldritch had changed since they had last seen each other.

Then a zip of white slid around 5.0.5. and those snow covered arms were crushing his ribs in fits of vociferous laughter. He wheezed out a breath against pale blue fabric - miniscule pinstripes with marbled silver and grey buttons, in case anyone was wondering - and felt his legs swing as if he was spinning. Then, as quick as it had begun, he was standing on the floor again, shoulders held at arm's length as an old eye darted over his body.

"You're here! You're alive!" Another laugh bubbled up from his chest. "I thought - surely by now you'd - but here you are!"

Flug stumbled slightly, mind whirling as he heaved in gasps of air. White Hat continued to ramble a mile a minute, occasionally asking questions, but mostly just gawking at his existence. It was almost endearing.

"ARRRGH!"

The familiar screech jarred him back to his senses. He turned - White Hat had spun them almost all the way across the foyer, holy shit - and frantically waved his arms at Dementia, who was leaping through the air with a club in her hands. "No, no, no! Dementia, stop!"

She hoisted the club further above her head and Flug flinched. Her battle cry was suddenly cut off in a strangled gasp. He risked opening an eye, finding her hovering in the midst of a glowing sphere. She was obviously straining against her confines, but they held fast. White Hat let out a tiny exhale in the form of the words, "Oh no," right before she was violently tossed across the room. A Dementia-shaped hole punctured three consecutive walls. 5.0.5. cowered in a corner of the room near the door.

"Oh my-! Dementia!?" Flug took a few steps forward, clutching the sides of his head.

"Knowing you, she won't be dead."

The scientist felt each muscle in his back tense, cramping as his already racing heart tripled in speed. His feet mechanically shifted to face the voice standing in the doorway. He recognized the beige-gold shirt, the golden laces, the stygian toed boots, the midnight trench coat. It only made his shaking worse.

"Yet," the figure added, stepping inside with clacking footsteps.

Flug clenched his fists, trying to ignore the shaking in his limbs. "Wh-what - what are _you_  doing here?"

"What are _you_  doing in Black Hat's mansion?" he fired back. He stopped and put a hand in his pocket, the other flippantly rolling open with a loose gesture. "Better question, how aren't you dead?"

"Now, then, Klug." White Hat stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Flug's shoulder, seemingly not noticing how the scientist tensed. "That's not how we treat our hosts, now is it?"

"As a guest, I think I'm allowed to ask a few questions." Klug crossed his arms.

Flug couldn't help but take a step back. White Hat's hand fell from his shoulder and his entire body quivered in visible tremors. Everything he had worked to conceal. Everything he had managed to remove himself from. Everything he had ignored for the last millennia. It was all _here_. In this room. Not only that, but these two were a force he'd rather not reckon with. He couldn't make them leave anymore than he could avoid the consequences of breaking a deal with Black Hat.

Klug's shoes clacked against the floor as the man shifted his stance and Flug suddenly found himself on the far side of the room.

White Hat blinked, lips tight in concern as his eyes darted between the two scientists. "Flug-"

"You shouldn't - be here," he ground out. His fists clenched, breaths heaving through barely contained teeth as he struggled to remain stationary. The shaking in his body broke his fists open and he found himself at eye level with the chandelier, then in front of a window somewhere in the mansion, and then back in main foyer near the broken wall. He stumbled as he materialized with one foot on top of a brick.

A vice like hand gripped onto his shoulder and his tensed body simultaneously flinched and relaxed. "Do be careful with my scientist. He can be rather sensitive around newcomers."

Klug rolled his eyes. "We're hardly new."

Black Hat stepped further into the room, spinning a sable cane with one hand. "Of course." The sharp clack of the cane hitting the floor resounded through the room. "Who are you again? I don't recall inviting you."

White Hat gave off a nervous laugh and moved ahead of Klug. "He's my lab assistant. Well, head director of my lab. He's much more capable than I ever-"

"His name," Black Hat snapped.

White Hat frowned, then tugged at his gloves. "Klug Syvanmeren, though it's just as real a name as Flugzeuge Slys." His lips twitched as the other remained quiet for just a moment too long. "You didn't actually expect him to-"

"I called you here for _business,_  White," Black Hat growled, "and I told you not to bring anyone."

"He didn't bring me, hotshot." Klug strode forward until White Hat extended an arm in front of him. He threw a glare at him and crossed his arms. "I followed his stupid ass out here. Only way to see what the competition's been cooking up."

Flug swallowed dimly. "Sir-"

"Flug." He silenced him with the slightest tilt of a head. "Get 5.0.5. and Dementia back to your lab."

In any other circumstance, he would have been happy for the easy exit. "S-Sir, I don't think-"

"Now, Flug."

He hesitated again, then decided he had tried Black Hat's patience far too many times in one day for his comfort. He beckoned to 5.0.5. After a moment of whimpering on the bear's part, they stepped through the crumbling walls and searched for the lime and strawberry lizard lady. An awful gash lined her temple and her wrist was bent at an odd angle, but she looked relatively unhurt otherwise. 5.0.5. carefully picked her up, sniffling and blinking away tears. Flug took enough of a breath to pat his shoulder and lead him toward the lab.

"She's - she's been through worse," he tried.

Shouting broke off behind them, jarring Flug enough to fall over. A chorus of laughter broke the air, quickly followed by an intense cold. The scientist scrambled to his feet and pushed 5.0.5. toward the nearest exit. Mist began crawling through the halls, ice just starting to form before the lab doors slammed shut behind them.

Flug swallowed thickly, surveying the now-upright tables and swept glass. "P-put her over h-here." He shivered off his lab coat and laid it over the table with the least number of dents and holes. Goosebumps ran across his arms as he swallowed. He mumbled half-curses under his breath and re-crossed the room. 5.0.5. complained. Flug only sealed the lab to its highest security setting and moved to a console implanted on a wall. With a few taps, the major equipment of the room - a quantifier, concealment tank, nuclear warhead bank, et cetera - sank into the ground and walls. A few machines seemed to merely disappear from sight.

"AHH!"

"RAHH!"

"BEAR!"

 _"DEMENTIA! 5.0.5.!"_ Flug shouted, clutching his chest as she and 5.0.5. roared at each other. The two turned to him. "P-please calm down."

She frowned, shaking her arm hard enough to pop her wrist into place. "Where is that white hatted bastard?"

"Dementia-"

"Where is he?" She hopped down from the table, legs shaking slightly. Her hair bristled as 5.0.5. raised his arms to calm her. "How did he stop me!? I had him!"

"H-he didn't stop you," Flug said quickly. "His s-scientist did. And I think he's talking with Black Hat."

She limped past 5.0.5. and toward the door, yanking at the handle with all her might. Grunting, she let go and turned to face the scientist. "Open the door."

"I-"

"Flug," she said. A moment passed. "Open. The door. White Hat serves heroes. He needs to die."

"B-Black Hat said to stay here. And not hurt anyone."

She narrowed her eyes. "He always wants us to hurt people."

The lab door hissed open, prompting Dementia to twirl and raise a nonexistent club above her head. She growled at Klug, but Flug quickly ran to her and gripped one of her arms.

"P-please do-don't."

The unwelcomed guest exhaled and pushed by the two. "Your security skills still suck, Flugzeuge. I expected some improvement."

Flug released Dementia and watched as he perused the few in-progress experiments still lying around the lab. There weren't many left intact - _never_  having sex in the office _ever_ again - but there were a few which had been hiding in the corners, safe from the carnage. "It's not like - not like I have to worry about break-ins around here."

"Did you really think we weren't looking for you?" Klug whirled around, swinging his arms out. "Do you know how worried White was when you left?"

He flinched, but stood his ground. "You told me to leave-"

"I never _meant it_ _!"_ He exhaled, hands pressing to his forehead. "Abominations, you are _not_  that dumb. I refuse to believe that."

"Well, I meant it when I said I never wanted to see you again!" Flug broke out, pacing toward him. "Nothing good happens when we're together, Klug. White Hat knew that we grew more volatile near each other, and he still kept us together. None of that was pleasant for me!"

"It wasn't pleasant for me either!" He stalked closer to him. "You don't see me running off to make deals with upper echelon Eldritches, do ya?"

"Oh my gods, you haven't changed a bit." Flug laughed tensely, shaking his head. "You didn't even know I was here until White Hat said my name. Don't even try and pretend like you came looking for _me."_

"I'm not pretending anything!" Klug growled. "I came to follow White, but we _have_  been looking for you, all over the place-"

His fists clenched, the material squeaking through the room. "I've been in plain sight for centuries! I'm in videos! I have my own Instagram account! _I'm not hiding at all_ _!"_

"There's no way to track those things! You and Black Hat make sure of that." He threw his hands up, then exhaled and let them fall to his sides. "We _have_  been watching, though, just like Black Hat watches our videos. It doesn't exactly look like you're well appreciated here."

"He's plenty appreciated!" Dementia shrilled. A quick look at her proved that she had no clue what the two were talking about up until his time in the mansion. "If he wasn't, he'd be dead a long time ago."

Klug frowned at her. "Yeah, 'cause the promise of death if he screws up is appreciation."

"Syv, you don't get-"

"Oh, no, you don't." Klug growled, deep and scarily similar to Black Hat's, and swung a finger towards Flug. "Don't you dare use those little nicknames like we're all friends and you know better. You _don't_  know better. Black Hat doesn't give a shit about his scientists. He doesn't care about anything that happens to you-"

Flug shut his eyes and sighed against the chorus of nonsense he had heard from plenty a hero before. He let Klug rattle on and on until Dementia seemed ready to pounce on him herself. He took a step forward.

A bluish black sphere erupted around them, swirling vortexes of oily sand twisting the surface in a myriad of directions and dimmed colors and semi-clear substrates. Klug's voice petered to a halt. Flug could feel the wideness in his eyes, the sudden kick of adrenaline. He breathed it in, eyes closed, and glitched his next step to force himself inches in front of him, fingers curling around the fabric of his twin's t-shirt as he solidified mere inches in front of him.

"You don't know anything," Flug hissed, shaking him. Red pinpricks burrowed through his goggles and into the bagged face in front of him. "You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, and you sure as Hell don't know a _thing_  about Black Hat. So don't _you_  go around saying _you_  know what's best for _me_. I left because I knew staying _there_ , with _him_  and with _you_ , would be signing my death warrant and-"

"Flug."

The scientist stilled, fists clenching even tighter as fingers wrapped around his wrists. He was close enough to see Klug's adam's apple bob in his throat, close enough to see the way his pinprick pupils shot around to look between him and something over his shoulder, close enough to see the small drops of inky black escaping the bottom edges of the paper bag on his head. He let out a ragged breath, but couldn't will his fingers to unlock. Millimeter wide tears formed in the protective orb occupying half of the room.

"He shouldn't - he shouldn't b-be here-" he stammered.

"Flug." His hands were covered, and his fingers popped off as if butter had been used to slick them. "You're safe. Relax."

"H-he - he sh-should-d'nt-"

His trembling hands were squeezed. "You're safe."

He couldn't tell when his knees gave out, but he never hit the floor. His breathing was labored, so much he could tell it was more hindering his oxygen intake than helping. His feet left the floor as his vision tunneled into darkness. He made a loose grab for something, anything, and then everything went black.

. . .

Black Hat only released his exhale once the barrier was entirely dismantled and his scientist was safely unconscious. Well, asleep. Forced asleep, because his panic attacks were never a pretty sight to see and, although the man - eldritchian cambion, he corrected himself - seemed fairly benign when calm, he didn't want to raise so much as a finger to get rid of all the bloodstains which would inevitably result from his loss of control.

He strode toward his two other employees, who were in various stages of shock or disbelief, and dropped the scientist into the bear's arms. "You know what room to take him to, right? It's been a while."

5.0.5. merely whimpered, tears brimming in those ridiculously large eyes and lips quivering and - gah, dastardly abominations, he doesn't even have a heart and yet - geh - great, now it's  _crying-_

"We'll get him there, sir," Dementia said quickly, wrapping an arm around the blue mutant and guiding him out of the room and passed White Hat. Black Hat considered it a blessing that she, the bloody mongrel of a lizard, didn't go for his throat.

He brought a hand to his face as soon as they were a safe distance away, and White Hat immediately darted toward his scientist, who had - wisely - stayed entirely still during the entire exchange. He fussed over him - always fussing, always asking those questions over and over again - and hugged him what must have been at least twenty times-

He growled lowly and turned on his heel. " _This_  is why I told you to come alone, White. We've had a rough month. This kind of bullshit is what I was trying to _avoid_ _."_

White Hat frowned at him from where he had Klug's fingers spread open in his palm. "I've already explained that I told Klug to stay in the manor. And that's a very nice thing to say when _your_  scientist was close to killing _my_ -"

He groaned into his hands. His idiot 'brother' always had to turn everything into _me me me me me._  At least Black Hat did it forthrightly. At least he was upfront about it. "White!" He breathed in the crispness of a silent room before continuing. "I could care less about him. I get that. I'm not an idiot, though HE obviously is." He sent a very near-poisonous glance toward Klug. "From what little I've heard, I can tell you knew the risks coming here. And I can tell you with a great amount of certainty that you're lucky to be alive."

"Flug would never-" White Hat started.

"You knew him before I did," he snapped. "Have you never seen him have a panic attack before!? He's never used his powers before, never in the mansion or in front of me, and he's still managed to kill plenty of people before calming down and realizing what he's doing. It's only happened a few times, but it's..." He sighed and touched his forehead, fighting off a sudden headache. "Painstakingly and deliberately destructive for such an orderly man."

"Why didn't you tell me?" White Hat hissed. "I could have helped him-"

"I think you've helped him enough," Black Hat spat. "I don't know what you did, but it's obviously crippled him in some capacity. And I had no clue you even _knew_  about him, much less physically engaged with him in the past, before today. You never exactly were forthright about knowing him either."

"Well, at least one thing hasn't changed with him," Klug muttered. Both eldritches turned their gazes to him. He held up his hands. "Hey, the kid has never been keen on opening up to anyone. Something would _definitely_  be wrong if he just up and told you his past."

White Hat threaded his fingers together, teeth worrying his bottom lip. "I should have come sooner, Black. I should have told you somehow, warned you-"

"If you had, I would have killed you." His fingers curled into inky fists. "Flug told me in his own time, on his own terms. I might want answers as soon as possible, but I want them from _him_ , not some heroic cop out of an abomination." He again turned on his heel. "I'll expect you to be gone in the next hour. Take the media with you."

The squeak of shoes shifting on linoleum crossed the room. "You love him, don't you?"

His pace halted. A cool wisp of breath passed his lips and his nails curled into his palm. "Why do you think I didn't kill your scientist on sight, White?" He touched the brim of his hat as if to correct some kind of flaw in how it rested on him. "Like I said, leave and take the media with you. I'm expecting a few more hero invasions this week as a result of your presence."

"Black, wait a minute-"

" _Now,_ White."

"Just a day. I haven't seen him in-"

"He doesn't want to see you," Black Hat growled. "I thought that was obvious enough."

"I... He...."

"He only freaked when I walked in, Black Hat."

The Eldritch stretched his fingers and scowled at his nails. "He reacts horribly to you. Reminds me of White when we were younger."

"Black Hat," his fellow Eldritch reprimanded.

Klug grouched, crossing his arms and sidling up next to White Hat. "I'll go back to the manor. White Hat can stay."

"I - I don't know if you should just go back alone, Klug! You never know who might-"

"Listen to your minion the first time he says it, White," Black Hat barked. He glowered as the Eldritch jumped. Such skill at deception.... No wonder Flug managed to hide so well. "Send him back and you can stay-"

Snowy arms wrapped around his chest in a steel trap. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank-"

Black Hat peeled himself from White Hat's arms, hissing. "One day! Nothing more!" He straightened his clothes, glaring daggers into White Hat's positively _glowing_  eyes, and stalked out of the lab. "White, follow me. _silently_. Not-Flug, leave and never return."

"Already on my way," Klug grumbled.

"Be safe, Syvan!" White called, bouncing as he followed the Eldritch deeper into the labyrinthian halls. He chuckled lightly at the curse he got in reply. "No matter how hard I try to stop him from being so abrasive, he'll never stop cursing."

"Maybe it's in his nature," Black Hat deadpanned.

"Hm. Perhaps." His grin softened. "I could tell you bonded with someone, but I didn't realize it would be with Flug. He... never struck me as that kind of person."

Black Hat scowled. "What do you mean, 'that kind of person?'"

"O-oh! I didn't mean any offense, brother, I just-" He laughed nervously. "I know your habits in bed."

He huffed, pointedly staring ahead. "Don't forget I know yours, too."

"B-Black-!" Blue covered White Hat's face and he almost tried over his own feet. Graceful.

"Guh. I wish these humans could see how hypocritical you are." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not hypocritical," he muttered. A sigh escaped his lips, eyes closing for a moment. "Honestly, though. He wanted it?"

"Of course he did. I'm not some barbarian." He shook his head and yanked a door open. "Dementia, 5.0.5., escort White Hat to the mess hall."

"W-wait, Black-"

"Do I get to smack him around a little?" Dementia stood from where she sat next to Flug's sleeping form, arms on her hips.

A growl tore through his throat. "I'm trying to run a business. He's the only competent competition I have, so no, you cannot harm him. Unless he harms you."

"Which I would never do." White crossed his arms.

"As for you," Black Hat seethed, "I need to make sure Flug isn't going to immediately kill one of us, so I need the room cleared."

"What if he does one of those space things on you?" Dementia frowned at him. "Or if he teleports somewhere like he was earlier?"

"I can confine him," he promised. "Now, leave."

Dementia and 5.0.5. began moving toward the door, both frowning as White Hat remained in the room and Black Hat removed his gloves.

"I can help, Black."

"I don't need help," he snapped. "I've done this before."

5.0.5. pawed at White Hat's arm, making small noises until the Eldritch sighed and stepped back. "Alright. Fine. But I'll be-"

The door slammed in his face.

"Finally. Silence." He took a deep breath, then strode toward the couch where his scientist's chest steadily rose and fell with shaky breaths. He frowned and pressed one hand flatly over his throat and under his chin before cradling his skull in one hand and sliding his bag off with the other. "You'll have to forgive me, Doctor. I need to know if he's done any tampering."

Black Hat's eyes roamed over his dappled jaw and gentle lips. His "brother's" magic was very similar to his own - almost indistinguishable to the untrained eye - but both of them had certain tells. He would have also noticed anything when he had first met the scientist, but he figured he'd be better double checking his work. He had already overlooked a half-eldritch living in his abode; there had to have been more he had missed in the past. He sighed as he closed his eyes, focusing more deeply on the memories cradled between his palms.

Rubber clutched his wrists and he glowered as he turned his gaze to - shit, those eyes were _rubies_. The feeling of desirable placation swept over him, but he easily batted the idea aside with a feral growl. Flug whimpered, knees drawing up to his chest but eyes remaining wide open. Black Hat grumbled, rolling his eyes as he pressed his nose to his scientist's forehead. He let out a small huff.

"You're an idiot sometimes, you know?"

"I-I'm s-sor-sorry, sir," he quavered. "I should have - should have told you about - Klug - I-"

"Quiet," he hissed.

Flug winced even though the words were softened by a hand carding through his hair.

"What did he do?" Black Hat murmured.

"I-I-"

"Flug, please. We don't have time for stalling."

The scientist stilled, blinking at his boss. "He... He spoke ill of you, sir."

"And?" Let it be known Black Hat was not a fan of being seen as an idiot.

Flug's eyes turned aside, the color in them fading to a dull pink. "He brought up my - past. I... I'm sorry, sir, I should have told you about him when I told you about - about White-"

He let the cambion clutch his lapels and ramble before stroking down his spine and fitting the other's head under his chin. "I should have assumed calling White here would rile your nerves."

"Y-you called him?" Eyelashes flickered against his throat.

"I needed to know if he did anything, Flug." He exhaled as he pulled the scientist away from his chest. "His mannerisms are vile. I wouldn't put it passed him to hex your memory or make a deal with you."

Flug shifted to sit more comfortable, fingers worrying the bottom of his shirt. "I never let him propose any - any deals, sir. I suppose he - he could have-" He shivered. "C-can I have my goggles and bag? I don't - my face...."

 _Is beautiful,_ Black Hat wanted to say. He held his tongue and provided the articles to him, though. No matter how much he wanted to, he wouldn't press Flug's self-consciousness until he fully calmed down. "I didn't see anything that blatantly reeked of him, which means he kept his hands off you."

"It - it was hundreds of years ago, sir. I know magic still leaves traces, but it could have been dulled by my - proximity to you."

He rolled his eyes. "Fucking and soul bonds do not cover magic like that."

Flug stammered uselessly, heat creeping down his neck.

"If anything," he continued, arms crossed and one leg folded over the other, "copulation would make it even more noticeable-"

"S-Sir, please!" Flug covered his face. "It sounds so much worse when you just-"

"Tell it as it is?" Black Hat smirked and leaned closer. "I thought a man of science like yourself would enjoy a little truth from a being of lies."

His flush deepened at the closeness. "Sir...."

"Yes, Doctor?"

He swallowed, still hiding behind his rubber gloves. "S-some truths require a bit of - of - nuance." He bit his lip and lowered his hands. "I would hope a being so coy would be able to - to procure such nuance, w-wouldn't you?"

A laugh gusted across his neck. "Well spoken, Doctor. Still, nuance takes time: something we seem to be lacking."

He took a careful breath. "Where are the others, sir?"

Black Hat retreated, claws tapping along his knee. "I imagine 5.0.5. and White are giving each other hugs and reprimanding Dementia for ruining art or playing music too loudly."

He didn't miss the probability in his statement or the purposeful redaction of Klug's name. His shoulders quavered between lowering and rising before he let out a sigh and leaned back. "I thought I couldn't feel him."

"Is it that strong with you?"

He shrugged. "I'm probably just not used to him."

He picked at his nails. "Will you be fine with White?"

"I... Yeah, I should be."

"Let's get going then."

The Eldritch stood, fluidly taking Flug's hands and pulling him to his feet. They stood there for a moment, hands held at shoulder height and cloaks fluttering as they settled. In the half-light, their unnatural pupils glinted off one another, separated only by Flug's specially made lenses. Black Hat separated one of their hands to touch his hips.

"Remind me to tell you about-"

The door slammed open and Flug jumped, jerking behind Black Hat, who growled at the obscured doorframe.

White Hat swayed, stammering and panting, "F-fire! She - started a - a - fire!"

He drew his hand over his face and stormed into the hall. "Dementia! I swear if you're holding matches when I get down there-!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temporis et Coeli - Latin for "Of Time and Space"  
> Klug - German for "wise, wily"  
> Syvanmeren - Finnish for "deep-sea"


	7. Bargaining Chip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy, I've been gone for ages! Apologies for the long wait. I really hadn't meant to be gone for so long, and the explanation for the hiatus is gonna be down at the end notes.
> 
> Anyways! You get a little bit of Flug's past here. I hope you enjoy!

~500 YEARS EARLIER

"Oh my, oh my, oh my." His hands gripped tightly to his cane as he hurried through the stark white corridors of the hospital. He truly hadn't meant to get distracted. He hadn't meant to peer out at the fantastic cathedral the citizenry were constructing and he hadn't meant to allow his craft to get anywhere CLOSE to anyone, regardless of whether or not said person was supposed to be there or not. His eyes flicked over the wood doors and flickering sconces, though neither deterred his perception of sight. "Where could he be?"

He was met with another fork in the hall and he stopped to properly inhale a breath of air. Losing control would get him nowhere, despite his nerves begging him to just leave already. It was risky being around a human hospital for so long, but he had little doubt the man he was looking for was close to death. The thought almost brought tears to his eyes.

"Sir? Are you lost?"

He yelped and spun to face the man. His clothes hung about him in a deliberately clerical manner, with a silver chain looped around his neck and the pendant tucked between folds in his black and white attire. "I - I was here looking for someone. I don't know their name, but I heard they were brought here. He had burns and - and cuts all about his face."

The man smiled softly. "You're talking about the one who fell from the sky."

"I-" He stopped himself, then nodded and lowered his cane to waist level with a sigh. "Yes. I seem to have interfered by accident."

"We've been waiting for you to come, White Hat." He waved him forward. "Right this way."

The Eldritch would have questioned the priest's ease around him if it weren't for the specific town they stood in. If there was any upside to any of this debacle, it would be the sleepy nature of the residents.

"I'm surprised you know of me," he said anyways.

"You have helped the church on occasion," the man returned. "It helps that you have such defining features."

White Hat held in a sigh. He would never accustom himself to humanity's fixation on physical appearance. "The man who fell out of the sky - is he alright? It was a nasty fall...."

"It's funny you would ask that."

"What? Why?"

"Well, he..." The priest put a hand on a door, but stopped himself from walking inside. "His wounds are healing much faster than anyone has ever seen before, and his eyes...." A frown crossed his face. "Half the nurses are convinced it's the devil's work while the rest are convinced God healed his wounds."

White Hat blinked. Demons in the countryside were not unheard of, but for them to be using machines to fly was something he himself had never fully entertained. "That's why you were waiting for me."

"You have helped others with similar problems like this before. We would be indebted to you if you would be so kind as to do the same for us."

"I'll - I'll see what I can do."

They both walked into the room, though the priest stopped after only a few steps. The bed had been knocked over and the remains of a vase were scattered across the floor. Water trailed along the floor. A figure huddled behind the overturned bedframe, a tight ball hugging the far corner.

White Hat brought a hand to the priest's shoulder and whispered, "I'll take it from here."

He quickly nodded and retreated from the room. White Hat closed the door and reexamined the room before swiping the water away with a flick of the wrist. He stepped closer to the other man and knelt closer to his eye level. In the light from the candles, he could see a few well-healed marks from burns and cuts along his forearms and left ear. His heart clenched even as his mind deciphered the looming puzzle pieces.

"You must be a demon of some kind," he murmured. "Have you been here for a while?"

The man - demon - remained silent, but held his arms tighter around his body.

He worried his lip. "I wanted to apologize. I was what you hit. I hadn't realized I was getting so close to civilian territory."

The demon shifted his head, curly locks bouncing, and took a deep breath. "You..." His voice sounded hoarse, almost as if... White Hat frowned slightly. "You're one of the Eldritches?"

"You might know me as White Hat," he conceded. "Who are you?"

The demon relaxed a little bit. "I - I don't feel very - c-comfortable sharing that. I'm s-sorry. I just know that - that Eldritches... I know what you're capable of."

"That's fair enough," he whispered. "Regardless, I would like to invite you to my manor. The church will find out about you if you stay here any longer. The staff was saying something about your eyes."

He flinched and tightened up again. "I - I can't - control it entirely. I don't - it works differently each time. I don't know what it is."

Some kind of ocular defensive mechanism? White Hat hummed. He must've been an upper class demon, but why would he be on Earth if he was? And he'd know his powers if he was of high class, so...?

Oh, he must be a CAMBION. "I'm willing to help you learn."

He was silent a moment longer, and then he nodded. "I-I'll think about it. But I'll need m-my headpiece. Hel-helps safeguard others from... you know."

"Of course." He grinned, his chipper attitude returning to him at the acceptance. "You must have a good eye for mechanics."

The cambion laughed once. "You should have seen Archimedes."

They talked like this for a little while longer, White Hat occasionally asking him if he wanted to sit on the bed or if he was still injured, but the cambion always refused his help. He was particularly sensitive about any mention toward raising his head, and reiterated his desire for his "headpiece" enough times for White Hat to understand he really was anxiety ridden without it. He wondered what had happened to make him so worried about showing his eyes.

"I'll go talk with the priest and see if they recovered your belongings," he finally said, standing. "I also cleaned up the holy water. Do you want me to bring you something better to drink?"

The boy tensed a little. There was something about how expressive he was without his face that was rather charming, if White Hat was being honest. He almost felt like he could go through life never seeing his face and still be able to understand every emotion running through him.

"I - I'm fine, thank you."

"I'll be back soon. And, please, consider my offer. My doors are open to all." He smiled gently as the cambion remained silent, then walked across the room toward the wooden door.

. . . . .

The members of Black Hat Inc. sat at the long table in the dining hall, across from a relaxed and most notorious enemy of theirs. White Hat delicately sipped from a sparkling tea cup trimmed in gold, eyes closed as he savored the rich taste. One of his legs crossed over the other, as if he weren't alone in a stronghold that wanted him dead. After a moment longer, the teacup was set on the table and he stared his brother in the eyes. There was a very obvious sense of territoriality coming from Black Hat. No doubt one wrong look would push him over the edge.

"So you thought he was a cambion as well?" Black Hat eventually said.

"Yes. A powerful one." He shifted the position of the cup's handle. "I helped him get a handle of his abilities, but he was never quite open to me about the full extent of his powers. I imagine you know he consumes souls?"

"And that he can do so in a variety of ways," he returned.

White Hat's eyes widened. "I always had to raid blood drives. How-?" He cleared his throat. "Never mind that. I suppose the purpose of this is that I stay away, isn't it?"

"That would be the best." Black Hat trilled his claws along his arm. "However, it's come to my attention that you have his other, which means you know a great deal more about their capabilities than I do."

White Hat merely blinked at him.

"Don't play dumb," he snapped. "We both know, and we both know each other knows, so the matter has to be addressed. I don't want that Klug beast in my mansion anymore than Flug does. That means I have to talk to you about it."

Flug shifted in his seat. "Sir, I'm sure I can tell you anything-"

"He's had this knowledge for hundreds of years, Flug. If I know anything about him, he's been researching the matter extensively." He leaned his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. White Hat's lips twitched a bit. "He knows more about you than you know yourself. That's a given for anyone he comes in contact with."

"Come now, brother," White Hat crooned. "You shouldn't get so bent out of shape on account of not having the upper hand for the first time in your life."

His eye twitched. Yes, his pride was in this, but there was so much more than that. He couldn't risk anything. "I propose a wager."

Flug almost jumped at the word. "S-sir-!"

"A wager?" Dementia tilted her head. "I thought you made deals."

White Hat chuckled. "Deals are demon's play. Wagers are slightly more complicated."

"Sir, can we please talk about this before-"

"From what I understand, brother dear, we both have a few feats to perform in the near future." Black Hat grinned at him. "First one to stop the other three times gets a prize. All I want is all your information on Flug and Klug. Every single drop. Any physical documents handed to me and their copies destroyed."

White Hat hummed, conjuring a spoon and stirring his tea. "And what do I get?"

"It's a wager, White. You know the terms."

His spoon stopped. "Then I want Flug."

A shock coursed through the scientist, and it was all he could do to keep from leaping away from the table with a high pitched scream. Black Hat had decidedly asked to only hear how they met, leaving Flug's stay with White Hat mostly in the dark, but he was now regretting having accepted those terms. Maybe if Black Hat knew more, then he wouldnt-

"Sir-"

"Agreed."

Both eldritches stood and shook hands. Flug stared at them both, mouth agape. What the hell? Did Black Hat not care at all!? What if he lost!? He didn't want to go back to White Hat. He didn't want to see Klug ever again. He wanted - he just wanted-

"What the hell!?" The outburst was from Dementia. The table shook as she slammed her fist into the surface. "Are neither of you thinking of Flug!? He's his own person, and you - Black Hat, you-"

The Eldritch growled. It wasn't often the fangirl questioned him, but he was just as pleased as with anyone else. "I know what I'm doing."

White Hat picked up his tea and sipped at it's rim, looking quite pleased. "I'm sure we're both looking into his best interests. Isn't that-"

Flug shot to his feet, not even asking permission to leave before bolting into the hall. He almost felt sick. In a strange, ever-present way, he knew White Hat was telling the truth. Both of them thought they knew what was best for him. They were prideful enough to assume, to not even ask his opinion before acting.

What had he been thinking, getting involved with Black Hat? More than involved, now. His ribs burned, the scabs likely reopening with the toll of the day's physical labors. It was the only place that hadn't healed overnight. Gods above and below, why did he allow himself to get pulled in so deep? A SOUL BOND with an ELDRITCH? He really hadn't thought, had he?

Not with his head at least.

There was no doubt he admired Black Hat. He was perfectly controlled villainy - which meant targeted chaos and randomized mass murder, and, no matter how chaotic it seemed, there was always a sense of orderliness to his actions. He lacked a moral compass, but remained in touch with reality: a small feat for him, but one many other villains lacked. And, while he was strict with deadlines, he wasn't obscene about them. He knew his fair share of science, understood good products took time.

But he was also his boss.

And he had also been kind enough to help him through his demon sickness.

And he had also said they were just colleagues.

But he said he reciprocated.

And now he's gambling with his life.

A hand gripped his wrist and he stumbled, spinning, and tugged at his arm. "L-Let go!"

"Flug, listen to me-"

He pounded at the fingers holding him. "Let me go! You're just going to let him - let him-"

"Flug!" Hands shook his shoulders. "I'm not letting him have you. I have no doubt that I'll win-"

"You didn't even ask if I was f-"

"Do you understand that when I win, he'll have forfeited all rights to you!?" Black Hat growled, shaking him again. "White Hat already knew you were here. It was only a matter of time before he actually tried snatching you!"

The anger balling his fists suddenly cooled. Klug had mentioned the video feeds. He obviously knew he was with Black Hat. White Hat would have known as well, unless Klug kept that secret. It was possible, but he doubted it. Why had White Hat acted so surprised earlier? Flug knew he could act pretty decently, but....

"I don't know why he wants you," Black Hat continued, "but, for whatever reason, he's willing to do anything to take you. He'll be watching us very carefully." He narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the scientist. "If you leave, our operations fail. All of them. Immediate forfeiture."

Flug clenched his fists, then closed his eyes. "I... see. I need to sweep the lab for-"

"The bear can do that." Black Hat spun on his heel and waved a hand. "I need you to look at something."

Holding in a sigh, he stared after his employer and slowly started after him. "What do you need?"

"One of your machines has been malfunctioning."

He frowned a little, but didn't ask anything else. The majority of his projects were in his lab, and Black Hat never kept any of them in his office - which seemed to be the place they were heading. He glanced behind him to see Dementia and 5.0.5. worriedly watching him leave with Black Hat. They disappeared behind a wall as they took a turn. As Flug turned forward, he jumped and yelped.

Black Hat stood mere inches in front of him, their surroundings enclosed by his office despite them never walking through the doors. The Eldritch smirked and leaned in closer, Flug stepping back and hitting a wall.

"S-sir-?" His adam's apple bobbed.

Black Hat exhaled lightly, leaning his forehead against Flug's and cupping his jaw. "I sent White Hat away."

The scientist shifted, lowering his eyes. "I can't feel his presence."

"Good." He lifted his bag an inch, ghosting their together, but hesitated and drops his head further, pressing the flat expanse of his nose to his partner's lips. "I had to. I hope you understand."

Flug's eyelashes flickered, partially in shock and partially in embarrassment. He sighed and tilted his head forward, closing his eyes as his bag touched his boss' hat. "You're trying to protect me. I might not agree with HOW, but I can understand why."

Black Hat pouted a little before suddenly sweeping him up in his arms and carrying him toward the side room. Flug squawked, but let his legs pinion the Eldritch's sides. A warm tongue darted along his neck, startling another noise from his throat.

"Mine," Black Hat whispered, setting him on the edge of his bed and clambering to revere his beloved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think in the comments. Curious about his past? Wanna yell at Black Hat for being an idiot? Anything's welcome!
> 
> . . .
> 
> Okay, so yeah. The hiatus bit.
> 
> School has been pretty stressful the last few weeks, among many other life pressures regarding my family and our finances and college. On top of that, the school I currently attend has been targeted twice with school shooting threats in the last two months. While the state police have said there was no need for alarm, our school has started to take measures to teach us students and our teachers how to deal with such a situation (though not all teachers have taken the matter seriously. :/ ). On top of this, just last year someone threatened to shoot up my school to target our Gay Straight Alliance club, which I am a part of. The threats have thoroughly shocked myself and my school.
> 
> It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that I likely won't have the time to continue this particular fic on top of other fics I'm currently working on. There is a possibility that I may be able to continue JTaST, but it's more likely that I will be dedicating the time I usually spend writing this fic to contacting my representatives and advocating for change in my country.
> 
> However! Don't think I'm gone forever. I have plans of finishing Behind the Eyes (a Gravity Falls AU that I highly recommend reading) and continuing that story with a second fanfic. Furthermore, I imagine that, once all this stress levels out, I will come back and reassess continuing JTaST. More than likely, at that point, I'll continue writing. I'll also still be interacting with the comments if you peeps want to ask questions to clarify things or even if you just wanna say hi.
> 
> Wishing everyone the best,  
> Chloe Casey

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos keep me fed and motivated! Don't be afraid to offer suggestions; I won't bite. Most of the time.


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